Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, California, USA
July 8, 2017
Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), 25 laps, Total Race Time 35:14.812, Best Lap Time 1:23.597
2. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -1.202 seconds, 1:23.533
3. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -5.798, 1:23.694
4. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -17.574, 1:23.996
5. Xavi FORÉS, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), -21.159, 1:24.456
6. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4 1000), -23.016, 1:24.623
7. Jordi TORRES, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -31.986, 1:24.756
8. Michael VAN DER MARK, Netherlands (Yamaha YZF-R1), -32.933, 1:25.068
9. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -35.936, 1:24.642
10. Lorenzo SAVADORI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -36.912, 1:24.714
11. Stefan BRADL, Germany (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), -44.961, 1:25.385
12. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -45.203, 1:25.562
13. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -45.901, 1:24.840
14. Alex DE ANGELIS, San Marino (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -46.043, 1:25.046
15. Jake GAGNE, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), -46.805, 1:25.475
16. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -54.463, 1:25.316
17. Randy KRUMMENACHER, Switzerland (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -56.989, 1:24.959
18. Jakub SMRZ, Czech Republic (Yamaha YZF-R1), -66.108, 1:26.090
19. Ondrej JEZEK, Czech Republic (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -71.766, 1:26.139
20. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -15 laps, DNF, crash, 1:24.351
21. Alex LOWES, UK (Yamaha YZF-R1), -19 laps, DNF, crash, 1:24.741
World Championship Point Standings (after 15 of 26 races):
1. Rea, 316 points
2. Sykes, 262
3. Davies, 210
4. Melandri, 176
5. Lowes, 141
6. Van Der Mark, 123
7. Fores, 121
8. Camier, 99
9. Torres, 94
10. Laverty, 79
11. Ramos, 69
12. Bradl, 59
13. Mercado, 57
14. Savadori, 55
15. Krummenacher, 44
16. Nicky Hayden (RIP), 40
17. De Rosa, 30
18. De Angelis, 29
19. Leon Haslam, 20
20. Markus Reiterberger, 19
21. Badovini, 14
22. Jezek, 12
23. Riccardo Russo, 8
24. Jake Dixon, 7
25. TIE, Josh Brookes/Julian Simon, 4
27. Gagne, 1
More, from a press release issued by Althea BMW Racing:
Torres seventh in race 1 at Laguna Seca
Monterey (USA), Saturday 8 July 2017
On track today at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the Althea BMW Racing team closed the first Superbike race of the weekend in seventh place with Jordi Torres and thirteenth with Raffaele De Rosa.
Superpole 1: during the morning, De Rosa took to the track for the first phase of the Superpole. He concluded the brief session fourth, with a best time of 1’24.311 that translated into a fifth-row place on the race grid.
Superpole 2: Torres completed a couple of laps on the race tyre before putting in the qualifying solution. Thanks to a fastest lap completed in 1’23.789, Jordi qualified eleventh for today’s race.
SBK – Race 1: Jordi made up a position early on to place tenth. Battling with Savadori, he passed him on lap six to move into ninth position. Continuing to improve, the Spaniard was lying seventh by mid-race, a position he was able to maintain to the finish line.
Raffaele, 15th through the first turns, made progress in the early stages, positioning twelfth by lap six. Earning himself another position towards the mid-race point, the Italian unfortunately lost ground through the final lap, closing today’s race in thirteenth place.
Jordi Torres:
“The race didn’t go too badly considering the practice and Superpole before it. We changed direction before the Superpole and improved things a little but not enough, so we made more changes to the bike before the race. The bike worked better than before and I was more confident but there were still issues, like a lot of sliding at the rear for example. For tomorrow we’d like to be quicker entering the turns and try to limit the rear sliding. We’ll focus on the front of the bike in the hope we can take a step forward in race 2.”
Raffaele De Rosa:
“We started quite far back and there was contact between me and another rider at the first turn which caused me to lose ground. I tried to make up some positions and my pace wasn’t bad up until the mid-race point. From there on in though, there was a drop in tyre performance and I was struggling to manage the sliding, particularly in braking. We need to work on this and will make changes tomorrow morning, probably changing the tyre too in order to do better in race two.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Podium Places For KRT Duo At Laguna
Jonathan Rea (KRT) and his team-mate Tom Sykes battled inside the podium places for the entire 25-laps of the first WorldSBK Laguna Seca race of the weekend, with Rea finishing second and Sykes third.
From pole position Sykes led for the first 11 laps of the race, with eventual race winner Chaz Davies and front row qualifier Rea just behind. A double pass, from Davies into the Corkscrew chicane and Rea on the exit, saw Sykes suddenly third. He was to hold onto that position until the end of the race, for his 12th podium of the year.
With seven laps remaining Rea was confident he would be able to challenge for the win but he found he was not able to make up ground to Davies in one key area, and he finished a narrow 1.202 seconds from victory.
This was Jonathan’s 14th podium finish of the year and it gave him 20 points, which extended his championship advantage over his KRT team-mate Sykes to 54.
The race was held in hot and sunny conditions, which took the track temperature to 58°C at the start of the race and ensured it was a particularly intense day of work for all the riders.
Earlier on Saturday morning Sykes had topped the times in Superpole qualifying, giving him to a total of three poles wins this season and 41 pole wins over his entire career in WorldSBK. Tom is now only two Superpoles away from matching the outright record of 43, held by Troy Corser.
With another Laguna Seca WorldSBK race to come on Sunday 9th July, Rea has 316 points and Sykes 262.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “I thought that was going to be my race but there was no substitute for Chaz here today. In the mid-part of the race I felt really good. Chaz would make a few tenths on one lap and then I could get right back on him, and I thought that this would be my race. But in the last seven laps I really struggled with corner entry and the only place I lost out was from the last corner to T1. Chaz was taking two to three tenths out of me in the last seven laps in that area and that was too much to make up again. I felt I was holding my own everywhere except that last section. We increased the championship lead again but I always vow that I never start to think about the championship situation until the summer break.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “I felt my pace drop towards the end but it was just rear tyre grip reducing on corner entry. I am disappointed about that but there was nothing more I could do. I did my best during the race to adjust the way I entered the corner and the engine brake strategy but there is no real substitute for grip. You hear a lot of people talk about electronics but when there is no grip left there is no grip left. We made a good step compared to yesterday and again tomorrow we will try to be strong. Another Superpole win today, and that just comes when it comes, but for me what was nice was that we improved our race set-up so much today, and we need to do the same again for Sunday.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Davies secures tense race one victory
Returning Welshman takes win with excellent ride at Laguna, ahead of fellow podium finishers Rea and Sykes
At the GEICO US Round on Saturday afternoon in sunny conditions at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) recorded a superb win as he returned from his Misano injuries in style, whilst Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) were also on the podium.
The leading three could not be caught by the rest of the field as they charged away at the head of the race over the opening laps, with Davies and Rea pulling away from pole man Sykes in the final third of the race. With Rea right on his tail Davies held his nerve over the last few laps to notch a superb Race 1 win as he put his back and thumb injuries from Round 7 firmly behind him.
Davies celebrated the win by holding up a number 69 flag in tribute to the late Nicky Hayden, following the tragic recent passing of the Kentucky Kid.
The Ducati rider’s final winning margin over Rea was 1.2s, with Sykes a further +4.596s behind his Northern Irish colleague in third place.
After 25 exciting laps of the Laguna Seca track Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crossed the line in fourth, with Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) close behind him in fifth.
Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team), Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) and Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) completed the top ten.
A special mention must go to Jake Gagne who got a chance to ride for the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team, the American scoring a point to give the home fans something to cheer as they also fondly paid their own tributes to former Honda man Hayden.
It was not a great day for Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) or Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) as they both crashed out, but they will each get a chance to make amends on Sunday.
Indeed on Sunday at the #USWorldSBK round Race 2 will take place at 2pm local time (GMT -7) at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
1st – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“This is one of my most important victories, its not eay turning up here after the recovery, To come and fight for the victory was a highlight, I wouldn’t be here if i couldn’t fight. It was a tough race, the surface was slippery and I could see it wasn’t easy for the Kawasaki boys. It was also really important for me to dedicate this to Nicky Hayden.”
2nd – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
“It was a good race, we tried our best today and there’s not too much need to work on, our bike worked well. The grip was good, I need to change the weight of the bike to help with the engine traction, there’s some work to do tonight, but congratulations to Chaz. Happy with our job and I’m sure we can make some small improvements tomorrow.”
3rd – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)
“We had a good start and a good first half of the race but I suffered with rear traction on entry. I’m disappointed with that, but we managed to salvage a podium. Tomorrow we will need to make a small improvement to work on a couple of areas. Disappointed to give away on some points, but thats racing. From half race distance onwards we didnt have what was needed to take the fight to the other guys.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team seizes a memorable win in Race 1 at Laguna Seca with Chaz Davies, Marco Melandri is 4th
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team enjoyed a day to remember at Laguna Seca (U.S.A.) thanks to Chaz Davies’ win in Race 1. The Welshman thus brought his season’s tally to four victories, for a total 24 in his WorldSBK career, 20 of which came with Ducati.
Coming back from an injury that forced him to skip Race 2 at Misano three weeks ago, Davies quickly pulled away at the start with the two factory Kawasaki starting from third position. He then took the lead during lap 11, and with three laps to go he gave the final, decisive push.
Marco Melandri, who showed a front-running pace during practice, struggled with grip instead and was forced to play defense to finish in fourth position, collecting important points nonetheless. The Italian will thus start from pole position in Race 2, while his teammate will be ninth on the grid. Both riders raced with a spe
cial livery that mirrors that of the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition – which was previewed to the public at Laguna Seca – with the typical colors of the Italian flag. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action at 10:30 (CET -9) tomorrow for warm-up ahead of Race 2 (scheduled to start at 14:00).
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1st
“It’s been a couple of tough weeks, sitting on the sofa or the physio bed, so to come back and win at Laguna Seca is special. This victory means a lot to me, because I’ve been talking to my crew before coming here and I said ‘if I can race, I’ll be ready to have a go at the victory’. But, it’s easier said than done. The race was tough. Track temperatures were really high and the grip level dropped. I couldn’t trust the front completely, but managed my own race. I was expecting Johnny to attack in the final laps but that moment never came and we sealed one of the most memorable wins of my career. Now we’ll think about a strategy to attack starting from third row tomorrow.”
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 4th
“Today’s race has been a bit disappointing because we had a really strong pace during practice but we unexpectedly struggled a lot with grip during the race itself, both with the front and rear. At the beginning, I couldn’t push and I was hoping to improve as the race went on but unfortunately it was the other way around. I simply tried to score the best possible result today, and we couldn’t do better than fourth this time. The heat made things more difficult for everyone, but we need to understand why we had a more significant drop. To start from pole tomorrow is relatively important, first of all we need to solve the issues we encountered today but I’m confident we’ll do it.”
Stefano Cecconi, Aruba S.p.A. CEO and Team Principal
“To win with Chaz, who was coming back from an injury and a couple of difficult weeks, is special. This track suits both him and the Panigale R, and today’s race shows it. We managed to preserve our competitiveness after Misano. It’s a pity that Marco struggled during the race after showing some very positive signals during practice, but we’re confident we can race at the top with both of them tomorrow.”
Claudio Domenicali, Ducati Motor Holding CEO
“Today’s win is particularly sweet, not only from a competitive standpoint, but also because it came with the colors of the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition. It’s a bike we designed to celebrate an engine that has made history in WorldSBK and, delivering 209 horsepower and weighing kilograms, it’s the most powerful Ducati ever produced aside from limited editions. We previewed it worldwide here at Laguna Seca, and it’s been emotional to see the colors of the Italian flag take center stage both on track and on the podium.”
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team:
9 July 2017
WorldSBK 2017
Bradl takes 11th in race one as Gagne scores first WorldSBK point at Laguna
USA Round
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, United States
The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team has completed the opening race of the US Round of the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship, with Stefan Bradl able to clinch 11th place in the final moments of the 25-lap encounter. His team mate for the round Jake Gagne scored his first World Championship point at his first attempt by crossing the finish line in fifteenth position.
After a steady start from row six, Bradl started getting up to speed and, as the laps went by, he was able to make up some places in the five-way battle for eleventh place. The 27-year-old could keep a consistent pace throughout the whole race, which helped him getting past Ramos on the final lap for 11th place.
Jake Gagne had a solid maiden WorldSBK race performance today, which allowed the young American to enter the World Superbike standings with one point under his belt. Gagne showed a solid and consistent pace as he joined the battle for 11th position after some encouraging overtaking manoeuvres, while also shadowing at times his much-more experienced team mate.
Both Stefan and Jake’s starting position for race two will not change, meaning that they will line up on the grid for race two alongside each other on the 17th and 18th spots, respectively.
Stefan Bradl 6
11th
Overall it wasn’t a bad race. I had a bad start and from then towards mid-race I struggled in using the potential of the rear tyre so it was hard to stay with the guys in front of me. I managed to stay calm, though, and to save the tyre a little bit more, so I had a bit more rubber to play with in the second half of the race. I bridged the gap with the group ahead and was able to make some decent passes, even on the last lap when I overtook Ramos. This is definitely a positive, although when you make some important changes throughout the weekend it is sometimes hard to get the right feel for the bike. But in any case, the second part of the race was positive and I hope we can build on it and improve our result in race two.
Jake Gagne 45
15th
It was a good race and I’m really happy. The biggest thing is that we made all 25 laps and learnt a lot about the bike’s behaviour over the race distance and from the riders I was riding with. It’s a dream come true to finish my first World Superbike race in the points, so I can say it’s been a good day. It’s something to build on for tomorrow: we will try to make some improvements, I have some really great guys to work with so I will try to be a little faster tomorrow.
Pieter Breddels
Obviously our qualifying position has had quite an impact in race one. Stefan wasn’t able to make the most of fresh tyres in the first part so that’s why he lost a lot of ground early on. Once the tyres started to wear off a little, however, he picked up a good rhythm, managed to make some passes and put together quite a decent race overall. That was a positive note for us. There is clearly still a lot to improve, so first thing tomorrow morning will be to help him find the right feeling with the bike on new tyres. Jake was in the same group as Stefan and even managed to stay with him for a part of the race; he did a very good race, especially for being his first in the championship. He pushed the front tyre a bit too much – perfectly understandable – so he ended up missing some grip in the second half.