WorldSBK Race Lap Record: 1:40.640, Jonathan Rea, 2017

WorldSBK Pole/Circuit Best Lap Record: 1:38.247, Jonathan Rea, 2019

Motul FIM Superbike World Championship

Jerez, Spain

June 8, 2019

Revised Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Duc Panigale V4 R), 20 laps, Total Race Time 33:32.300, Best Lap Time 1:39.305 (New Race Lap Record)

2. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), -7.119 seconds, 1:40.087

3. Marco Melandri, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -19.951, 1:40.377

4. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -20.023, 1:39.569, includes penalty for last-lap collision with Alex Lowes

5. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), -20.107, 1:40.400

6. Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), -23.096, 1:40.488

7. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), -26.834, 1:40.913

8. Sandro Cortese, Germany (Yam YZF-R1), -29.526, 1:40.975

9. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -29.707, 1:40.612

10. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -31.218, 1:41.363

11. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -31.999, 1:41.343

12. Loris Baz, France (Yam YZF-R1), -36.824, 1:41.350

13. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), -46.045, 1:41.874

14. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), -47.804, 1:41.990

15. Alessandro Delbianco, Italy (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -52.105, 1:41.965

16. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -55.046, crash, 1:39.821

17. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -55.795, 1:42.247

18. Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -6 laps, DNF, retired, 1:40.772

19. Yuki Takahashi, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -8 laps, DNF, crash, 1:42.373

More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team:

BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at Jerez: Another top-six finish for Tom Sykes and the new BMW S 1000 RR.

Sixth place for Tom Sykes in Saturday’s race in the FIM Superbike World Championship at Jerez de la Frontera.

Team-mate Markus Reiterberger finishes eleventh.

Marc Bongers: “Our goal for tomorrow is to continue to improve and for both riders to finish higher than they did today”.

Jerez de la Frontera. The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team claimed another top-six finish with the new BMW S 1000 RR in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). Tom Sykes (GBR) finished sixth in Saturday’s race at Jerez de la Frontera (ESP). His team-mate Markus Reiterberger (GER) came home eleventh. Jerez de la Frontera is hosting round six of the 2019 WorldSBK season.

Sykes landed his RR in sixth place on the grid in the morning’s Superpole qualifying. Reiterberger started from 14th. Sykes lost a position at the start and was running seventh until the final lap when he regained sixth place. Reiterberger climbed two places at the start and then set his sights on a top-ten finish. In the end, he took the chequered flag in eleventh place, just seven-tenths of a second behind the rider in tenth place.

Quotes after race one at Jerez de la Frontera.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “The fact that Tom finished in the top six again is more confirmation of the work we have put in so far. We know that we can only improve gradually, but that is what we are doing. We are confident that it is only a matter of time before we enjoy some even better race results. Tom once again did a good job of exploiting the potential of the RR. Markus also made good progress today after a difficult Friday. Our goal for tomorrow is to continue to improve and for both riders to finish higher than they did today.”

Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It was a very productive day for Markus. We introduced quite a major change for him overnight and he adapted very well to that, so I am very pleased for him. He took that into the race. It was almost a race of experience, to understand the set-up we had just given him and he did pretty well with his lap times coming down towards the end of the race. Of course, the top ten would have been nice but eleventh was also a good finish today. Tom on the other hand had a good Superpole. We got on the front two rows of the grid which was positive. He got a good start but got pushed back then. He literally circled all race in that position and then inherited one place in the end. He had a slight vibration issue from the chassis which we can fix overnight. We collected more valuable data for tomorrow. We hope for a strong sprint race and try to secure a place on the front row of the grid. The target for tomorrow’s main race is to improve on today’s overall position and try to move up the order a little bit further.”

Tom Sykes: “I’m relatively happy to be honest. I made a pretty good start to the race and again we just had some small issues that we had seen in some other races before, while I was able to do some pretty nice things with the BMW S 1000 RR in the middle of the corner. I’m at the back of the guys but then I find some limitations. On a clear track, we have a better rhythm but I’m still enjoying the riding – I would just like a bit more from my results. But like I said, in terms of that, this is only round six and I don’t feel we are doing a bad job, especially considering how new the project is. I’m upbeat and my target is to keep working and moving forward, especially considering what should still be to come in terms of development. We just need time and everybody in the project understands that. We’re all enjoying ourselves and working to the same target and I believe we’ll get there. For now, we can’t do magical things and I think everybody in the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team is doing an extraordinary job. We’ll keep on pushing.”

Markus Reiterberger: “I’m really happy. Yesterday was a pretty complicated day for all of us and my team worked really hard and gave me a completely different bike today. I am really grateful to them. It seemed that we improved in some areas. The goal was to be within the top ten, which we narrowly missed, but we made some progress. That is the most important thing and I hope that we can take another step tomorrow. We have to work in the area that I’m still losing the front a bit and if we manage to bring the bike out of the corner a little bit better I think I can find a few tenths per lap.”

More, from a press release issued by Moriwaki Althea Honda Team:

Tough race for Ryuichi Kiyonari and Yuki Takahashi on Saturday at Jerez

Ryuichi Kiyonari and Yuki Takahashi had a tough first race-day at Jerez today, Kiyo finishing seventeenth while Takahashi crashed out at turn 1 on lap 13 of 20, fortunately without suffering any physical consequences.

The Japanese duo had previously qualified for today’s race in nineteenth and seventeenth place respectively.

They now both look forward to another day of action tomorrow when they will strive to improve during the 10-lap Superpole Race at 11.00 and the 20-lap Race 2 at 14.00 local time.

Ryuichi Kiyonari

17TH

“I feel sorry for everyone in the team and at home for today’s result which is far from what we are aiming for. I’m disappointed because after the test in Misano we had some setups for the bike to try here that actually helped us make some small improvements, albeit with some ups and downs, during the three free practice stints. This morning our race pace was at least constant and my feeling on the bike not so bad. Then during the race, I suffered from a lack of grip and also struggled in braking. It was a tough race. Having said that, tomorrow I’ll try again, as I continue to do my best.”

Yuki Takahashi

RETIRED

“The crash was a pity because I really wanted to finish the race and collect as much information as possible for the team. Luckily it was not a hard fall, I lost the front and slipped off at turn one. I’m ok and the bike was not too badly damaged either. The result aside, one that we’re not happy with us of course, we gained useful experience and tomorrow we will try some big setting changes. I think this is my main goal for the weekend, to work as well as possible on the bike’s setup and to give the engineers as much feedback as possible.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:

#ESPWorldSBK – Day 2:

Bautista takes home win ahead of van der Mark. Melandri third after Rea penalty

The Spanish star makes it to 12 wins. Jonathan Rea handed penalties following a collision with Alex Lowes on the final lap.

On the opening lap, it was a frantic start as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took the holeshot and kept his advantage, despite Bautista trying to get around the outside. However, on the short burst between Turn 4 and 5, the Spaniard was able to get ahead of Rea with a well-executed move. At the end of the first lap, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was a solid third, whilst teammate Michael van der Mark had fought his way ahead of Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and was fourth.

Soon, the battle over third began to take place, with Michael van der Mark right on the tail of Lowes as the third lap started. Halfway around the lap, however, it was an unconventional pass at Turn 8 that saw the Dutchman get ahead of his teammate and lead the pursuit to Jonathan Rea, who was losing time to Bautista ahead and the Yamahas behind – even though they were dueling.

It wasn’t long before the Yamahas began to rapidly close down the reigning four-time WorldSBK Champion. The Northern Irishman had no answer for a rampant van der Mark, who passed him with ease at Turn 6 with 12 laps to go. Soon, it was Alex Lowes’ turn to get ahead of Rea, this time at Turn 2 as Rea made a rare mistake. However, Lowes made a similar mistake at Turn 5, allowing Rea to go back ahead at Turn 6 before a battle throughout the rest of the race ensued.

There were further battles down the field, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) making a blazing start to the race, up to fifth from 11th. Despite this, Marco Melandri was making his presence felt, with a strong block pass at Turn 6 in the middle of the race, whilst Razgatlioglu got the Italian back a lap later at Turn 1. The battle raged for the rest of the race, with Melandri taking his top five in the end since he was third in Race 1 at Phillip Island.

With van der Mark clearing off and Bautista on the horizon, Rea and Lowes were left to battle it out right the way until the end of the race. With multiple clean passes as the two swapped positions, the last lap was the perfect opportunity for a desperate move from Rea, who needs as many damage limitation points as possible. With Bautista winning and van der Mark second, there were shenanigans behind as Rea’s desperate pass knocked off Lowes. Rea’s wave of apology was no consolation as Alex Lowes’ left-hand glove had been ripped off in the accident.

After his tangle with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has been handed penalties as a consequence. The four-time WorldSBK champion made a rash move on the Yamaha man at the final corner on the final lap, meaning that he has been dropped one position in the overall classification. Additionally, the Northern Irishman has been handed a back of the grid start for his on-track escapade in Race 1. This promotes Marco Melandri to the podium in Race 1 – his second of the season, whilst ironically, Alex Lowes will benefit from a front row start.

Razgatlioglu took fifth whilst Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) concluded the race in sixth. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) recovered to seventh with Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) completed the top ten.

Yuki Takahashi (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) crashed at Turn 1 whilst Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) retired.

P1 – Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

“After seeing the results of the practices, I expected the race to be more close. But of course, in the race is different especially at this track, with these conditions and the high temperatures. It is difficult to replicate the pace that you find during the free practices. Fortunately today I was able to find a good rhythm, especially during the first laps and took the lead immediately. I settled in my rhythm, and the gap started to increase. I managed it trying to save tyres and energy, and in the end, we were able to get back winning. I am proud to be the first Spanish rider to win in Jerez in WorldSBK! Also, this is my home round, and it also special to win in front of your fans, family, and friends. I dedicate this win to my grandfather that had recently passed away, and I am sure he has been watching over me this weekend”.

WorldSSP: Krummenacher on pole after Caricasulo penalty!

BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team duo cracked the WorldSSP grid again, with the chasing pack left in their wake

Due to not acknowledging yellow flags, Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) will start second on the grid, with teammate Randy Krummenacher starting on pole.

Continuing the dominance on from Friday, the BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team duo of Federico Caricasulo and Randy Krummenacher remained at the top of the timesheets after World Supersport Tissot Superpole. Caricasulo took pole position with his final flying lap, whilst Krummenacher crashed at Turn 1, in a session that was peppered with fast crashes as track temperatures increased.

The WorldSSP Tissot Superpole session saw Federico Caricasulo take a sixth career pole position, his first since this season’s opening round at Phillip Island. The Italian took pole with a new lap record too, at a circuit he won at from pole in 2017. Can he achieve it again on Sunday? Teammate Krummenacher came second in the session but crashed immediately after his fast lap, up at Turn 1. Just under two tenths of a second split the battling Yamaha teammates ahead of their race tomorrow. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) took a tumble on the exit of Turn 2 but remained third, to complete the front row.

Fourth place sees Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) take another strong grid position, as he will look to fight for his first WorldSSP win from row two. Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing) took fifth place, as the Austrian consolidates his front running pace, albeit nearly a second from Caricasulo’s blistering pole time. Completing the second row is Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who, like his teammate, suffered a slow crash in the session, at Turn 6. He was OK and got back out to improve his time.

Kawasaki seemed to have found something at Jerez, as Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing) heads up row three in seventh place, with championship challenger Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) only managing eighth position, after suffering a fast crash at the penultimate corner. Ninth position went to Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) as he was top Spaniard at home, whilst Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) took top Honda honours on his way to a career best WorldSSP qualifying position.

Pole Position – Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)

“Following the penalization inflicted to my teammate I got the Superpole here in Jerez. Of course, this is something that makes me happy, but I would have had preferred getting it by setting a got lap time on track. These are the rules and they must be respected. Regarding the race, I think nothing will change since we will both start from front row”.

WorldSSP300: Brutal battle in WorldSSP300 sees Garcia return to winning ways

Experience rises to the fore: the elite of WorldSSP300 come out on top after another titanic scrap

The traditional frenetic WorldSSP300 saw an exciting last lap with numerous lead changes as the leading group battled for class supremacy. Despite looking like the race was going to go to the reigning champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300), the victory went to Marc Garcia (DS Junior Team), who made the most of the chaos that ensued in the final corner.

With the race getting underway, it was Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) who led into the first turn, although Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing) took the lead half way through the opening lap. Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was right in the mix too, whilst Ana Carrasco was also looking for a way into the leading positions. All the time, quietly going about his race strategy, 2017 champion Marc Garcia was keeping out of trouble and riding a clean race.

However, as so often with WorldSSP300, it would come down to the final lap. All race long, Hendra Pratama had been taking an acute line into Turn 6 but on the final lap, when it mattered, he couldn’t make his way through. At the front, Ana Carrasco was looking at her first win, as Scott Deroue (Kawasaki MOTOPORT) also tried to find his way through.

Marc Garcia was right in the mix though in third, and going into the final corner, he made a brave pass on the inside to push his way ahead. Despite slipstreaming to the line from Deroue, Garcia couldn’t be toppled and took his first win of the season at a track at which he clinched his 2017 WorldSSP300 title, whilst an unfortunate Carrasco completed the podium in third. It is the first podium in WorldSSP300 history to feature two former champions of the class!

Behind them, a whole raft of riders who had featured in the leading group in the frantic pace of the WorldSSP300 race. Manuel Gonzalez was beaten to the final podium position by Carrasco and thus took fourth, with Andy Verdoïa (BCD Yamaha MS Racing), Hendra Pratama, Jan-Ole Jahnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team), Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno Yamaha), Jeffrey Buis (MTM Racing Team) and Unai Orradre (BCD Yamaha MS Racing) completing the top ten.

Going into Sunday, Gonzalez leads Deroue in the championship by a narrow margin of just seven points!

P1 – Marc Garcia (DS Junior Team)

“I am very happy to experience again this feeling after a victory. I won the championship here and I am glad to finally be back on the podium. The team had been working really hard. We did a good job! Tomorrow I will try to win again”.

More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:

Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) scores his twelfth win of the season in Race 1 at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Andalusia. Chaz Davies, in difficulty again, takes the flag in seventh place

Spanish rider Álvaro Bautista powered to his twelfth win of the season at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit with a dominating performance in Race 1 of the Spanish World Superbike Round held today. Starting from the front row alongside poleman Rea (Kawasaki), the 34-year-old from Talavera de la Reina immediately set his own pace, taking control of the race on the opening lap and crossing the line with a comfortable gap of 7 seconds over Van der Mark (Yamaha). Álvaro’s win is the first by a Spanish rider at Jerez in the thirteen Superbike races held here up until now.

Unfortunately, his team-mate Chaz Davies was unable to get in amongst the fight for the leading positions. Starting from eleventh place on the grid, the 32-year-old Welshman struggled throughout the race, showing a scarce feeling with his bike, and as a result he was not able to go any higher than seventh place.

Tomorrow the ten-lap Superpole Race gets underway at 11.00 CET, with Race 2 following at 14.00.

Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) – 1st

“I’m really happy with this great win today. This morning we made a few small changes to the Panigale V4 R which allowed me to improve the feeling. In the Superpole we did a very fast time and managed to get onto the front row, which was our aim. In these conditions, because of the high temperature, I used up a lot of energy and also had to manage the tyre wear in the best way possible. On the opening lap I took the lead of the race and made my own pace, which I was able to administer until the chequered flag. I’m very happy to win again after Imola, and I’m proud to be the first Spanish rider to win an SBK race here at Jerez, in front of all my family, friends and fans. I want to dedicate this win to my grandfather, who passed away a few days ago, for sure he gave me extra motivation for this victory.”

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 7th

“Today’s race was a tough one. After not getting a particularly good start, in the early laps the feeling with the bike wasn’t very good and I struggled to get into the rhythm. Then, in the middle part of the race I found myself a bit behind the group that was fighting for fifth place, but I couldn’t catch them. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to say, for me it was complicated just to get to the end of the race. The only positive aspect is that it was useful to do 20 laps in these conditions which allowed us to get a lot of information. We’ll have a look at all the data with the engineers and hopefully can come up with something good for tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Superpole Winner Then Fourth For Rea

Jonathan Rea took his KRT Ninja ZX-10RR to a record breaking Superpole success at Jerez and then followed it up with an eventual fourth place finish, having crossed the line third in the first race of the weekend. Leon Haslam finished ninth in the hot conditions that characterised race one.

In a dramatic opening WorldSBK race at Jerez Rea competed for a podium finish after starting from pole. With some mid-corner issues with front end feel and confidence Rea lost positions to first Alvaro Bautista and then both official Yamaha riders.

Swapping positions with Alex Lowes in the second half of the race, held in ambient conditions that almost touched 30°C, Rea was fourth with one lap to go and closed in on Lowes in the last few corners.

In an attempted pass on Lowes into the slow final left hander they touched, and Lowes fell. Rea was initially classified third, and took part in the podium ceremony, but the FIM WorldSBK Stewards Panel issued a sanction to Rea that means he drops one position to fourth in the final race classification, and has to start the next race from the back of the grid.

For Haslam it was a tough opening contest in Jerez after he experienced front end grip issues early in the 20-lap race. Starting from fifth place on the grid after Superpole he dropped to eighth on lap one, fighting all the way to earn his ninth place and more championship points.

Rea’s Superpole pace was such that his new track best sits at 1’38.247 – a pleasant early outcome at a circuit he had never taken a pole position at before.

On Sunday 9 June there will be two WorldSBK races to complete the Jerez weekend, one ten-lap Tissot-Superpole race and then a second full distance race in the afternoon.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “Our bike, with grip, was working incredibly well today, especially in the morning in the cooler conditions. I was able to build into that Superpole lap with a three stop strategy – first with a race tyre, then with a pre-qualifier and then at the end with the qualifying tyre. With the temperatures rising in the afternoon, maybe a combination of that, or what we changed on the rear of the bike a little, I really struggled right at the apex of the corners to turn around. It was putting so much stress on the front tyre. I tried to do the best I could, but when Alvaro came past it was on a completely different rhythm. I found myself on a similar pace to Alex. On the last lap I tried to be as close as possible to do something in the last corner. I saw him going wide on the racing line so I decided to do a cutback and go to the inside. Unfortunately at that point he was fully committed to the corner, I did not got through far enough, we had contact and he went down. I am really sorry for ending his race but it was a real racing accident; last lap, last corner battle.”

Leon Haslam, stated: “We struggled from lap one with front grip, especially on the right side. The pace at the end, once I had adapted my style not to use any angle on the right hand side, was not too bad, but honestly I felt I was just tiptoeing round at that speed. It was frustrating. It was a long race for sure and we need to analyse why we have been touching this problem a few times this weekend but it was the worst we have had in the race.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) scored fifth place in the race after taking 11th position in the grid after Superpole. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) retired from the race while in ninth position. In his comeback ride after suffering a wrist injury in April, Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was 13th.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Van Der Mark Second as Melandri Promoted to Podium in Jerez

Race

Both Pata Yamaha WorldSBK riders were involved in a race long battle for the podium in today’s opening WorldSBK encounter in Jerez. But while Michael van der Mark ended the day celebrating a superb run to second place, Alex Lowes was left battered and bruised after Jonathan Rea made an ill-considered attempt to pass Yamaha’s British rider in the last corner on the final lap, as both were disputing third place. GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Marco Melandri, who originally finished today in fourth place, was promoted to third five hours after the chequered flag due to the FIM’s subsequent 1-position penalty being imposed on Rea. Sandro Cortese returned to top ten form with an eighth place finish today, while Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Loris Baz, scored points with a 12th place finish on his Yamaha race debut.

As Championship leader and pole sitter Alvaro Bautista escaped at the front of the race, both Pata Yamaha riders spent the early stages riding in formation, pushing hard to close the gap to Rea in second place. It was van der Mark who caught the reigning champion first, outbraking Rea into the newly named Dani Pedrosa corner at the end of the back straight to move into second place. With a clear track in front of him the Dutchman quickly gapped the Kawasaki rider, who was already coming under intense pressure from the second Pata Yamaha R1.

After some aggressive but fair fighting between the two, Lowes finally made a decisive move with three laps to go, going underneath Rea into turn one to take third place. As the two riders approached the final turn for the last time, Lowes looked to have enough of a lead to ensure he’d claim the last step on the podium at the line. However, Rea misjudged his entry to the corner and made contact with Lowes, hitting the Pata Yamaha rider’s handlebar hard enough to cause him to crash. While Rea remained upright and managed to hold onto third place, Lowes could only remount to finish 16th and out of the points.

The incident was investigated by race direction, with a penalty imposed five hours after the chequered flag that demoted Rea from third to fourth position and saw Melandri awarded with his second podium finish of the season. Rea must also start tomorrow’s Superpole race from the back of the grid, but neither sanction compensated Lowes for the 16 points lost as a result of the last corner incident.

The crash left Lowes nursing a damaged left shoulder and contusions on his left wrist. After an assessment and treatment in the medical centre the Pata Yamaha rider is confident he will be fit to race tomorrow but will undergo a precautionary medical check ahead of warm up.

Van der Mark’s second place today saw him move ahead of Lowes in the championship for the first time this season. The 26-year-old is now third in the standings on 154 points, with Lowes now fourth on 140 points.

Melandri was unable to make the most of his front row start initially, as he struggled during the early stages of the 20-lap race with inconsistent braking. The GRT Yamaha rider recovered to end a run of difficult race weekends with a fourth place finish, which improved to third following the sanctions imposed on Rea. A mistake on the opening lap from Cortese, running wide on the brakes as he tried to make up places, saw the reigning Supersport World Champion initially drop back to 15th place. Cortese managed to fight his way back into the top ten over the course of the 20-lap race, eventually finishing in eighth place.

Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Baz, made a points scoring debut aboard a Yamaha R1 that had been rebuilt overnight following his FP2 crash yesterday. The Frenchman finished in 12th position and is confident of improvement in tomorrow’s two races.

Michael van der Mark

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P2

“The bike felt really good in Superpole, but I made a couple of mistakes than cost me a few tenths and that meant I started from the third row of the grid today. I got a good start, managed to make up quite a few places in the opening laps and then quickly settled into a good rhythm as I tried to conserve my tyres. When I passed Alex I was struggling a bit with the front and having to ride a bit differently, but I was still able to close on Johnny and then pass him for second. I tried to pull a gap straight away, but he managed to stay with me for a couple of laps before I could get away from him. The bike was really good today; the guys have done an amazing job and the package has improved, but we still need to find a little more improvement with the front ahead of the two races tomorrow.”

Alex Lowes

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P16

“Obviously I’m gutted with the eventual outcome of the race. I was struggling with the bike a little bit in the race, which meant I wasn’t able to stay with Michael, but I felt I could be consistent with the pace I had. It was a good battle with Johnny; I felt I was a bit stronger than him and with three laps to go managed to get in front. I put in a good, solid, clean last lap and I felt like I had the beating of Johnny but then he made a big error of judgement in the final corner and took me straight off the bike. It was a decent hit and I’m pretty sore right now. He’s been penalised for the move, but that doesn’t change the fact that I missed out on the podium and 16 really important points, which is a shame. Anyway, there are a few things we can improve on the bike; my pace has been strong all weekend and, luckily, we have two races tomorrow in which to try and make up for today’s loss. A disappointing result, but there are also plenty of positives we can take away from today.”

Marco Melandri

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P3

“Obviously it’s not the same getting a podium finish this way rather than being in a straight race for it, but I see this as like a present for the hard work of everyone in the team and at Yamaha that we did and are still doing. This result, even if it was a bit of a gift, will only motivate us further to make improvements so that, once again, we’re in a position to really fight for the podium on track.”

Sandro Cortese

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P8

“It was a good and bad race. I made a mistake on the first flying lap trying to pass Rinaldi and ran wide on the brakes, which dropped me back to 15th position. After this, for me personally it was the best race so far this year, even if the result wasn’t the best, because I was able to overtake a lot of people and fight with Haslam who has been on the podium many times. I’ve never overtaken so many people in a race before, so it was a step forward to finish again in the top ten, especially after the difficulties we experienced in Imola. Now we’ll look through the data to find some improvement for the opening laps in tomorrow’s two races.”

Loris Baz

Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P12

“I’m happy that we were on the grid and that we have done our first race of the season, because it’s what everyone has worked so hard for, but I’m not so happy with the result. Our target is much higher, but the crash yesterday meant I lost time and a little bit of confidence, and we also need to understand a little better the bike to refine our set-up. We’re improving a lot the engine braking to better suit my riding style, but I think we went in the wrong direction with the front suspension for the first race, because I was losing the front so much in the corners. It’s a shame because I wasn’t losing to much compared to the group in front in the first sector, but I was losing more around the fast corners. Today was the first time for a lot of things for us, so now the guys have much more data with which to work, as they try to refine our set-up further. As a result I think we can make a step tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna and FIM:

FIM WorldSBK Stewards Panel – Information

ACERBIS Spanish Round – Jerez de la Frontera (ESP)

For 2019 the duties of the FIM World Superbike Race Direction has changed. Race Direction are responsible for operational matters, the FIM Stewards Panel are responsible for adjudicating infringements of the regulations and the issuing of sanctions. 

On 8th June 2019, during the last lap of the FIM World Superbike Race 1 there was an incident at Turn 13 involving Riders Nr.1 and Nr.22, which resulted in the crash of Nr.22. The incident was placed under investigation and shortly afterwards a protest was received against Rider Nr.1. The protesting party were advised that the matter was being investigated however chose to place an official protest.

The investigation required the FIM Stewards Panel to interview both riders in order to hear their view of the events. The interview with Rider #22 was delayed due to his requiring medical attention. Additional video footage also had to be sourced and examined to gather as complete a picture as possible of the events.

As the FIM World Supersport 300 race was taking place at the same time, both the FIM Stewards Panel and the Race Direction camera resources were engaged during this period. As such the additional video footage could only be sourced afterwards.

Having interviewed both riders and reviewed all available video footage the FIM Stewards Panel convened to discuss the incident in detail, and reached the unanimous decision that the incident and subsequent crash of Rider #22 was a result of irresponsible riding on the part of Rider #1, according to Article 1.21.2 of the 2019 FIM World Superbike, World Supersport and World Supersport 300 regulations.

The penalty issued is considered to be commensurate with the seriousness of the incident