Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Losail International Circuit
Doha, Qatar
November 3, 2017
Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), 17 laps, Total Race Time 33:41.021, Best Lap Time 1:57.577
2. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), -4.944 seconds, 1:58.196
3. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -10.405, 1:57.813
4. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -12.052, 1:58.405
5. Lorenzo SAVADORI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -12.339, 1:58.641
6. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -15.587, 1:58.287
7. Jordi TORRES, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -16.789, ran off track, 1:58.715
8. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -17.869, 1:59.310
9. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4 RC), -18.494, 1:59.106
10. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -22.660, 1:59.270
11. Jeremy GUARNONI, France (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -36.011, 1:59.778
12. Jake GAGNE, USA (Honda CBR1000RR), -38.237, 1:59.792
13. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -49.659, 2:00.561
14. Ondrej JEZEK, Czech Republic (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -50.079, 2:00.694
15. Alex LOWES, UK (Yamaha YZF-R1), -2 laps, DNF, crashed twice, 1:58.271
16. Xavi FORÉS, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), -7 laps, DNF, mechanical/retired, 1:58.194
17. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -7 laps, DNF, crash, 1:59.008
18. Michael VAN DER MARK, Netherlands (Yamaha YZF-R1), -11 laps, DNF, crash, 1:58.477
19. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Honda CBR1000RR), -12 laps, DNF, retired, 1:59.866
20. Alessandro ANDREOZZI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R1), -14 laps, DNF, crash, 1:59.956
World Championship Point Standings (after 25 of 26 races):
1. Rea, 531 points
2. Davies, 383
3. Sykes, 373
4. Melandri, 317
5. Lowes, 226
6. Van Der Mark, 210
7. Fores, 185
8. Camier, 161
9. Torres, 158
10. Laverty, 148
11. Savadori, 124
12. Leandro Mercado, 115
13. Ramos, 112
14. Stefan Bradl, 67
15. Randy Krummenacher, 50
16. De Rosa, 48
17. Nicky Hayden (RIP), 40
18. Alex De Angelis, 32
19. Markus Reiterberger, 29
20. TIE, Guintoli/Ayrton Badovini, 26
22. TIE, Leon Haslam/Jezek, 20
24. TIE, Giugliano/Anthony West/Riccardo Russo, 13
27. Andreozzi, 11
28. Gagne, 10
29. Takumi Takahashi, 8
30. Jake Dixon, 7
31. Guarnoni, 5
32. TIE, Josh Brookes/Julian Simon, 4
34. Rolfo, 3
More, from a press release issued by Althea BMW Racing:
Torres and Althea BMW seventh in race 1 at Losail
Doha (Qatar), Friday 3 November 2017
The Losail international circuit in Qatar is hosting the final round of the 2017 Superbike world championship this weekend. The first of the two SBK races, which took place this evening under the floodlights, brought mixed results for the Althea BMW Racing Team, seventh across the line with Jordi Torres, while Raffaele De Rosa unfortunately suffered a crash on lap ten.
Superpole 1: immediately quick with the race tyre, De Rosa was lying third as he headed into the pits to put in the qualifier. Back on track, the Althea BMW rider set an excellent lap time, a 1’58.747, but unfortunately just missed out on second place, and also access to Superpole2, in the final seconds, forced to settle for third. A fifth row start then for the Italian in race 1.
Superpole 2: Torres’ best lap came in the final seconds of the short session, with the Spaniard able to set a 1’58.087, to conclude in eleventh place, translating into a fourth row start for the first race of the weekend.
SBK – Race 1: From eleventh on the grid, Torres maintained that position through the opening laps, followed by team-mate De Rosa in twelfth. Passing Guintoli, a mistake for Torres on lap five saw him lose several positions. The Spaniard pushed to make up the lost ground, passing riders to re-position tenth by mid-race. Improving further on his position through the latter stages, the Althea BMW rider crossed the line in seventh position. De Rosa, having made up three places early on to place ninth on lap seven, continued to lap with a consistent pace, behind team-mate Torres, but unfortunately suffered a crash on lap ten, putting a premature end to his race.
Jordi Torres:
“Another ‘so so’ day for us. In the Superpole we had problems with a tyre that seemed to cause a lot of vibration. As a result, I couldn’t complete a clean, fast lap and was forced to start eleventh. I felt quite good with the bike in the initial stages of the race but unfortunately, I messed up a gear change after a few laps, finding false neutral and losing several positions as a result. I was able to catch up by passing a few riders but couldn’t do more than seventh position. We’ll see if we can do more tomorrow.”
Raffaele De Rosa:
“Another crash unfortunately. I was pushing too hard and suddenly lost the front which I didn’t expect to be honest. A pity because the race had been going quite well until that point and I was trying to stick with Jordi and Guintoli… I’m really sorry for the team, as we could have taken a good result today. I’m very disappointed, the only positive is that my pace wasn’t bad so I hope we can finish the season with a more positive result tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Runaway Rea wins penultimate race of the season
Triple World Champion takes victory ahead of Davies and Melandri
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) produced a masterclass in the Qatari desert on Friday night at the Losail International Circuit, getting away brilliantly from pole to dominate the penultimate race of season and eventually cross the finish line a clear 4.944s distance ahead of second placed Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). The Race 1 podium at the Acerbis Qatar Round was completed by Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
Having set a new outright circuit record lap in Tissot Superpole 2 earlier in the evening, Rea pushed his Kawasaki ZX-10RR to the limits over the course of the 17-lap contest around the 5.380km Qatari track. He was untouchable at the front as he cruised away for his 15th win of a remarkable season.
Davies did his best to chase Rea down but would eventually finish a lonely second despite his best efforts – still a good result in his bid to secure the runner-up spot in the 2017 championship. His teammate Melandri crossed the finish line a further five seconds behind him.
Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) produced an excellent ride to fourth, missing out on the podium by under two seconds, whilst his colleague Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) was just behind him – completing the top five.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team), Sylvain Guintoli (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Roman Ramos (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) rounded out the top ten.
In a drama-filled race there was cruel luck for Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) who pulled off track with a technical issue when challenging for a strong podium finish with seven laps to go. Shortly afterwards Raffaele de Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) went down at turn 9 when riding in the top ten and then Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) crashed at the last corner of the lap when also in podium contention. Lowes picked up the Yamaha YZF R1 to go in search of valuable championship points but would crash again in the final stages.
Earlier in the race Michael van der Mark crashed at speed at turn 9 meaning it was a difficult day all round for the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team.
Race 2 at the Acerbis Qatar Round will take place at 9pm local time (GMT +3) on Saturday under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit.
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
“Its nice to do it here, I love this event and the night race and I love the circuit. I just wanted to put my head down on lap one, I am really happy with the way the team have worked this weekend, I want to thank each member of the team who have worked so hard with the bike. I am living the dream right now.”
P2 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
First part of the weekend is complete, it was a tough race and I think a lot of people were struggling. I didn’t know what to expect, I knew we would be ok but didn’t know if we would be ok to finish on the podium. From lap one the entry grip was really bad but 17 laps later I’m really happy to get that 20 points and hopefully we can make some steps forward.”
P3 – Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It was a very difficult weekend and luckily for the race the team made a better set up for the race and I was feeling a lot better. I was lucky and my pace was much better and in the last five laps I started to think I was pushing too much on the front tyre so I decided to slow down and third is the best we could have done.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Sets Personal Best Season Win Total
The opening 17-lap FIM Superbike World Championship race of the final round saw Jonathan Rea record his 15th race victory of the year, surpassing his previous personal best of 14, which he set in 2015. Fellow KRT rider Tom Sykes had rear traction issues throughout the race and dropped from a strong second to a final sixth at the flag.
From pole position, which he earned with a new track best of 1’56.228 earlier in the day, Rea was unstoppable out front under the floodlights in Qatar, winning by almost five seconds and easing up over the line. His Superpole win was his tenth for Kawasaki, and his sixth of the season.
This was Rea’s first WorldSBK race win at Qatar, and also the first for a Kawasaki rider at the 5.380km circuit in the desert near the capital city of Doha.
In taking his victory today Jonathan is now second in the all time WorldSBK race win rankings, with a career total of 53. Only Carl Fogarty, with 59, has won more races across his career than Jonathan. Should Rea win the Saturday race at Losail, the last one of the year, he will take the record points total in one season to add to all his other achievements in 2017.
For Sykes, who is still trying to ensure he finishes the year in second place overall, finding less drive than he expected in the opening race saw him finish in sixth place. As a result of this he dropped ten points behind his rival for the runner-up spot, Chaz Davies, who was second today.
The final race of the year will take place at 21.00 local time, on Saturday 4th November.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “It is nice to score one more win than Troy but I never thought about the stats at all. I just wanted to win a race here. I never thought about the potential points record or anything. Now that looks – with the way we rode today – like it is possible. I thought coming here to win, where Chaz was so strong last year, would be really difficult. But it seems like we have found a little bit extra this end of season, to be honest. Of course we have improved the bike, especially in the chassis area. I feel I have a lot more confidence than last year, I feel that I am riding better than ever and physically I feel in much better shape. I have just been training myself a lot smarter. So it is a combination of many things. The total package of the bike is really good and balanced.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “I set off behind Jonathan in the first laps and trying to go into the corners the bike was all over the place; the front and rear chattering. I could not turn. This afternoon in hotter conditions the bike was doing 1’58s, all yesterday 1’58s and 1’57s and then today I did a 1’59.5 and that was about my limit. I could not brake, could not tip in, could not get through the corner the way I wanted to. I just missed a lot but we did not change anything. I cannot do anything about it but it is disappointing. I will just try to get a good result tomorrow and what will be, will be.”
2017 KRT Rider Statistics
Jonathan Rea: World Champion 2015, 2016 & 2017
2017: Races 25, Wins 15, Podiums 23, Superpoles 6
Career Race Wins: 53 (38 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 111 (69 For Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 14 (10 For Kawasaki)
Tom Sykes: World Champion 2013
2017: Races: 23, Wins 2, Podiums 16, Superpoles 4
Career Race Wins: 33 (33 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 100 (99 For Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 42 (42 For Kawasaki)
5 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Sykes 2013, Rea 2015, 2016 & 2017), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
3 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016, Ninja ZX-10RR 2017)
3 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015, 2016 & 2017)
Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 108 – third overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 347 – third overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 73 – second overall
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Double podium for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team in Race 1 at Losail (Qatar): Davies 2nd, Melandri 3rd
In the spectacular, floodlit track of Losail (Qatar), the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team stepped on the podium with both its riders in Race 1 of the last round of the 2017 WorldSBK Championship, with Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri respectively second and third under the checkered flag.
Despite a difficult Superpole that resulted in a third-row start for both, Davies and Melandri showed their mettle to climb back through the field and join the fight for podium positions. The Welshman quickly took second place with a spectacular series of overtaking maneuvers and then administered the gap until the checkered flag, thus gaining valuable points in the fight for second position in the championship against Sykes. Melandri, after struggling a bit more in the early phases, progressively moved up the ranks to close in third position and take his first podium in Qatar in the production-based series.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action tomorrow at 18:30 local time (CET +2) for WUP ahead of Race 2, which is scheduled to start at 21:00 local time. Due to the reverse grid for Race 2, Melandri and Davies will start from 7th and 8th position on the grid tomorrow.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 2nd
“I’m happy because we achieved our main task, which was to gain some points in the fight for second position in the championship, but honestly it was a tough race. I think we did the best with what we had, it was a case of managing a few issues. We struggled with grip both in corner entry and exit, and we missed a bit of agility. But, we took second place and we’re happy to get 20 points in the bag and a lot of useful data ahead of tomorrow to improve with the electronics and especially engine brake. We need to stay focused and hopefully we’ll make another couple of steps forward for Race 2.”
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 3rd
“I’m quite pleased with this result, because I don’t think we could have done more today. After Superpole I didn’t know what to expect, but the team has done a great job and we managed to make a good step forward with the setup for the race, where I still wasn’t at my 100 percent but at least I was able to ride close to the limit. In the beginning, I struggled as I had very little grip on the rear. The bike wobbled a lot and I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to. I tried to compensate with the front, and managed to gain some positions, but towards the end the tire was really worn out and I decided not to take many risks. This podium boosts our morale. We’ll try to improve further and finish on a high note tomorrow.”
Stefano Cecconi, Aruba CEO and Team Principal
“Given the difficulties we experienced going into the race, we can be happy with this result. The riders and team reacted very well, taking a double podium that leaves us satisfied but not entirely, as our goal is to always fight for the win. We’ll do our best to be even more competitive in Race 2.”
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda:
Twelfth place for Gagne in race one at Losail
Qatar Round
Losail International Circuit, Qatar
Jake Gagne has taken fifth place in today’s 17-lap, opening race of the 2017 WorldSBK season finale at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, equalling his best finish in the series scored in his previous appearance at Magny-Cours a month ago. His Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team mate Davide Giugliano was forced to an early retirement at the end of lap six.
Gagne got a decent launch from eighteenth place on the grid and had a competitive opening lap, as he made his way past some rivals to enter the top-15. As the race progressed, the 24-year-old from San Diego battled with Guarnoni for eleventh position before consolidating twelth place in the latter stages of the encounter.
Giugliano got a good launch from the fifteenth slot of the grid and was able to move up two places as the World Superbike field entered turn one. The 28-year-old Italian then started to lose ground and was passed by his team mate Gagne, before making his way back to the pits and pull out of the race.
The final race of the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship will get underway tomorrow at 21:00 local time (GMT +3), with Giugliano and Gagne again 15th and 18th, respectively, on the starting grid.
Jake Gagne 45
12th
We made a lot of progress this morning in free practice 3 and I was feeling really good, but unfortunately I made a few mistakes during Superpole 1 which didn’t allow me to get a good qualifying position for the race. I got off to a decent start and got in the mix at the back, then made a couple of passes but then there was some smoke coming off another rider’s bike, which kind of made us slow down and lose touch with the group ahead. On lap nine I started to lose some grip so I could not push as hard as I wanted in the remaining laps. Twelfth place is not too bad and we have some ideas on what to change on the bike for race two, so hopefully we’ll be able to go quicker tomorrow.
Davide Giugliano 34
DNF
My start was good and I got up to thirteenth place, but very soon I started having issues with shifting, and ultimately I had no choice but to return to the pits. The team is currently investigating to find out what happened, but surely it’s a shame for how things went in the race because we showed some progress in Superpole 1 and I was ready to put up a fight. Now we need to regroup and get ready for the last race, because we all need one good result to wrap up the season.
Ronald ten Kate
Team Manager
It surely wasn’t the type of result we were expecting from today, and it has been a quite challenging race no doubt, but Jake did a great job and didn’t give up even when the grip went away. He was twelfth again but we’re quite confident he can be quicker tomorrow. It’s a real pity for Davide, because he got off to a great start and I think he could have battled for a top-10 finish, so hopefully things can turn in his favour tomorrow so he can show all his talent in the final race of the year.
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Bad Luck for Pata Yamaha Pair in Qatar Race 1
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team suffered from a double dose of misfortune under the floodlights in Qatar on Friday, as both riders crashed out of Race 1 after having shown real promise throughout the weekend. Alex Lowes recorded his second consecutive front-row start and started Race 1 from P2 on the grid. During the race, he was involved in an excellent battle for the second position before he crashed at Turn 16. He managed to rejoin but, due to damage sustained in the original accident, crashed again with two laps to go bringing a premature end to his race. His teammate Michael van der Mark qualified in seventh and was battling hard during the race to chase down the leading group when was unlucky to make contact with another rider and crashed out on lap 7.
Lowes had been in sensational form on Thursday at the Losail International Circuit, with the 27-year-old British rider finishing practice in second overall on the timesheets, just 0.0.259s off the top. In FP3 he showed blistering pace to lead for most of the session, staying out for the entire time on the same set of tyres before finishing in third. He and his team made another step in SP2, with the 2013 British Superbike Champion setting a 1:56.675 to start his second consecutive race from the front row in P2.
When the lights went out, he was immediately involved in the battle at the front, passing Tom Sykes to move into second and then becoming embroiled in a brilliant three-way scrap for second with Xavi Forés and Chaz Davies, as he looked to record his fourth podium of the season. Passing Forés for third on lap ten, he set his sights on Davies ahead of him, closing the gap dramatically before losing the front at Turn 16 on lap 11. Unfazed, Lowes immediately remounted his Pata Yamaha R1 but rejoined the race in dead last. Riding at the winner’s pace, he quickly made his way up to 13th position before, with just two laps to go, he crashed again, this time at Turn 6 due to factors connected with the first accident. Lowes luckily escaped both crashes unscathed and will start Saturday’s Race 2 from the head of the head of the fourth row in tenth position, and remains fifth in the overall championship standings with 226 points.
Van der Mark had also impressed throughout the weekend as the Pata Yamaha Team showed great pace in the desert, ending Thursday’s practice in fifth overall. The 25-year-old Dutch rider then made a step in FP3, showing a very strong race pace but in SP2, despite feeling confident on the race tyre once more, he could not quite make the qualifying tyre work for him and finished the session in seventh. Starting the race from the head of the third row, van der Mark made another good start but got stuck on the outside at Turn 1 and found himself in down in tenth place. Immediately he started to pass the riders in front of him, re-taking seventh by the end of the first lap.
He bided his time and waited for things to improve and in his usual style, he started to up the pace as the race went on. On lap 7, as van der Mark was closing down the riders in front of him, he just misjudged the pace of a struggling Tom Sykes as he lined up an overtake, clipping the back of his Kawasaki in Turn 9 and crashing out of the race. Luckily, Sykes was not affected and van der Mark was uninjured, although it sadly brought an end to his run of 11 consecutive point-scoring finishes. The 2014 Supersport World Champion will line up for Saturday’s Race 2 in 12th on the grid and remains sixth in the championship standings with 210 points, 16 behind his teammate with 25 points up for grabs in the final race of the season on Saturday.
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team will take the positives from Friday in Qatar and are determined to bounce back in Race 2 at the Losail International Circuit which is scheduled for 21:00 pm local time on Saturday.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – DNF
“Obviously, I am gutted about what happened in the race. We have been really strong all this weekend, I was second overall after Thursday’s practice and we made another step today for SP2 to make it two consecutive front row starts. I was feeling really confident that I could battle for the podium during the race. I had a good start from the middle of the front row on the grid and, honestly, felt really good during the race, battling with the guys for second. I gave it everything to catch and pass Chaz but I just pushed a bit too hard and lost the front at Turn 16. Of course, I wasn’t going to give up and managed to re-join and fight my way back before somehow my glove got caught on the damaged brake lever and I crashed again. It was a disappointing end to a really encouraging day but I will bounce back in Race 2 tomorrow and give it everything to finish the season with a strong result!”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – DNF
“We made quite a big step today compared to Thursday and I was feeling pretty good in FP3. In SP2 I had a really good pace with the race tyre, but I couldn’t quite get the qualifying tyre to work for me but I knew I had a good pace for the race. I had a pretty good start but just got hung out to dry a bit at Turn 1, although I made up the places I had lost almost immediately. To be honest, at the beginning I was struggling with the pace a bit, I just didn’t have the speed to follow the guys in front but as the race went on, I was getting faster and faster and building my confidence with the bike. Unfortunately, through Turn 9 I was aiming to pass Tom Sykes into Turn 10 but we had completely different mid-corner speeds and I hit him quite hard – luckily, he didn’t crash. It is a real shame as I think we could have been in the top five, if not battling for the podium. I am really sorry and I hope to finish the race tomorrow inside the top five. It will be tricky from 12th on the grid but I will do my best to fight hard tomorrow.”
Paul Denning
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team Principal
“An obviously disappointing result in Race 1 here at Qatar after an extremely promising build-up, and the best race preparation that we have experienced all year. As always, the biggest positive is that both riders are uninjured and in both cases, as always when you are pushing the limits and looking to go forward, mistakes can happen. Both riders are talented and intelligent enough to use that experience to learn from it. Michael was caught out when Tom, who was clearly struggling a bit, was much slower in the middle of the corner than expected as he was lining him up for a pass. Fortunately, Tom himself was not negatively affected. Alex had closed right up on Chaz Davies’ back wheel to fight for second position and just asked a little bit too much of the front at the final corner. We are still really looking forward to tomorrow evening’s race. The guys have a lot of work to do from the fourth row of the grid but I am confident that Pata Yamaha can secure two good race results out of the Qatar weekend.”