Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Losail International Circuit
Doha, Qatar
November 4, 2017
Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), 17 laps, Total Race Time 33:39.718, Best Lap Time 1:57.061
2. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), -1.961 seconds, 1:57.932
3. Alex LOWES, UK (Yamaha YZF-R1), -4.185, 1:58.196
4. Michael VAN DER MARK, Netherlands (Yamaha YZF-R1), -5.843, 1:58.221
5. Xavi FORÉS, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), -8.987, 1:58.624
6. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -14.675, 1:58.134
7. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -16.251, 1:58.936
8. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -16.675, 1:58.975
9. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4 RC), -19.607, 1:59.309
10. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -20.628, 1:59.141
11. Raffaele DE ROSA, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -26.043, 1:59.370
12. Jake GAGNE, USA (Honda CBR1000RR), -32.656, 1:59.385
13. Alessandro ANDREOZZI, Italy (Yamaha YZF-R1), -41.197, 1:59.596
14. Ondrej JEZEK, Czech Republic (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -41.844, 2:00.304
15. Roberto ROLFO, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -47.116, 2:00.220
16. Jeremy GUARNONI, France (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -2 laps, pitted, 1:59.421
17. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10RR), -15 laps, DNF, crash, 1:58.403
18. Lorenzo SAVADORI, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -15 laps, DNF, mechanical, 2:00.302
19. Jordi TORRES, Spain (BMW S1000RR), -16 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
20. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Honda CBR1000RR), DNS
World Championship Point Standings (after 26 of 26 races):
1. Rea, 556 points (clinched World Championship)
2. Davies, 403
3. Sykes, 373
4. Melandri, 327
5. Lowes, 242
6. Van Der Mark, 223
7. Fores, 196
8. Camier, 168
9. Torres, 158
10. Laverty, 157
11. Savadori, 124
12. Ramos, 118
13. Leandro Mercado, 115
14. Stefan Bradl, 67
15. De Rosa, 53
16. Randy Krummenacher, 50
17. Nicky Hayden (RIP), 40
18. Guintoli, 34
19. Alex De Angelis, 32
20. Markus Reiterberger, 29
21. Ayrton Badovini, 26
22. Jezek, 22
23. Leon Haslam, 20
24. TIE, Gagne/Andreozzi, 14
26. TIE, Giugliano/Anthony West/Riccardo Russo, 13
29. Takumi Takahashi, 8
30. Jake Dixon, 7
31. Guarnoni, 5
32. TIE, Rolfo/Josh Brookes/Julian Simon, 4
More, from a press release issued by Althea BMW Racing:
Tough season finale for Althea BMW at Losail
Doha (Qatar), Saturday 4 November 2017
The 2017 Superbike world championship concluded today at the Losail International Circuit and, for the Althea BMW Racing team, it proved to be a tough final outing. De Rosa crossed the line in eleventh position but a highside for Jordi Torres unfortunately ruled him out of the race very early on.
Superbike – Race 2 – fourth on the grid having finished seventh in yesterday’s race, Torres was lying eighth through the first corners. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Spaniard’s day though, as a big highside at turn 5 on just the second lap saw him end his race in the gravel. Fortunately Jordi was not seriously injured, but this wasn’t how he had hoped to conclude his adventure with the Althea BMW team.
From thirteenth, De Rosa got away well to position twelfth. Earning several places through the first laps, the Italian was up into ninth by lap three. Following Guintoli, Raffaele maintained good pace, lapping in tenth position through the central phase of the race. Pushing all the way to the line, the Althea BMW rider crossed the line in eleventh place.
As the 2017 championship draws to a close, Torres closes in ninth place with 158 points, De Rosa fifteenth with 53 points. In the manufacturer’s standings, BMW finishes fifth with 187 points, while the Althea BMW Racing team positions fifth in the team standings having accumulated a total of 230 points during the 2017 season.
Jordi Torres:
“We started out well and I was confident we could make a good race. Unfortunately though, on lap two, as soon as I touched the gas through turn 5 the bike threw me off. Luckily I haven’t broken anything though I may have some muscle injury. I didn’t want to end the season like this of course, we hoped to do more… Of course I want to thank Genesio, the team and BMW for these last two years. We’ve had some great moments, I’ve learned a great deal and I’m very proud of the fact that as a team we never gave up, always giving it our all. So huge thanks to everyone.”
Raffaele De Rosa:
“After yesterday’s crash, it was important to cross the line today. After Jordi fell, I too risked a highside but was able to continue, it actually happened a couple of times, I’m not sure why. I got into a rhythm after that though and was doing OK until about lap eleven when I started to have problems managing the rear, particularly in braking. I was at least able to finish the race though… Huge thanks to Genesio and the entire team, as they’ve always done everything in their power to help me. Thanks also to my family and everyone who’s supported me this season. I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to do more…”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Record Points Haul For Rea With Sixteenth Win
Three time FIM Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea (KRT) secured his 16th race win of the season this evening in Losail to set a record total of 556 points in one year. Tom Sykes (KRT) crashed out from a podium position early in the last race of the 2017 season and no scored.
An almost perfect season for Jonathan Rea culminated with a double win at the final round in Qatar on the Ninja ZX-10RR. In winning race two by 1.961 seconds he won two more races in a single season than he had managed in his previous best winning year of 2015.
For the final race of 2017 Rea started from ninth place, under the reverse grid Superpole regulations, but got up to the lead on lap four. From that point he started easing his way forward and maintaining a gap to the riders behind.
His strong finish saw him 153 ahead of overall second place finisher in the points, Chaz Davies, after 13 rounds. Rea was never off the podium in any race he finished this year.
Sykes lost his chance of finishing the season in second place after he fell on lap three, at turn 14. His machine was too badly damaged to continue. Tom finished his season a clear third overall in the rankings, with 373 points.
After the finale under the floodlights KRT will now head back to Europe to make preparations for the first of the winter tests, to be fully ready for the new technical challenges that the 2018 season will bring.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “The points tally is nice but the championship is the main thing. To win 16 races in a season, more than 50% of the races, is not normal. That’s the biggest thing I take away. This year, like I keep saying, I have no words. It has been feeling normal to be here on the podium and that is kind of scary. Right now is my time, so I really am enjoying the moment. Next year it could easily be somebody else so we really need to enjoy this and celebrate an incredible year. I know how difficult it is when things are not coming naturally, and it is an uphill struggle, so that is why I am so grateful to Kawasaki for this opportunity. It is a huge team effort. In a few weeks’ time we can start turning our attention to 2018.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “We started this final weekend so well but things just turned against us. In race two the bike felt much better. Initially I missed a bit of lap time but the bike was coming to me. I was just in a fast turn, clipped the white line and fell. People are running up and over kerbs here but I go and touch a white line and lose the front. It has been one of those things. The lap times were right there for the race today because we had made slight modifications from yesterday, so I cannot believe the way it finished. Jonathan has had an incredible season this year, he has done a fantastic job.”
Shigemi Tanaka of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Motorcycle and Engine Company, Marketing Department, stated: “We send our congratulations to Jonathan on behalf of KHI. It is a great achievement to score so many points, in a season which has been remarkable.”
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda:
Solid performance by Jake Gagne in race two to wrap up the season
Qatar Round
Losail International Circuit, Qatar
The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team wraps up the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship with a solid performance by Jake Gagne, who was twelfth again at the end of the 17-lap, final encounter of the season at the Losail International Circuit. Gagne’s team mate Davide Giugliano was declared unfit to race following an outbreak of gastroenteritis.
Gagne got a good launch from 17th place on the grid and – after a few laps – he got up to speed on board his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 machine and made his way into the top-15. In the first half of the race, the 24-year-old American lapped consistently in the 1’59secs – a pace which helped him consolidate twelfth position as the laps went by. Gagne then rode a lonely second part of the final encounter to equal yesterday’s race one result, albeit with a smaller gap to the top.
The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team will begin preparations for the 2018 FIM Superbike World Championship with a private test on November 22-24 at ‘Circuito de Jerez’ in Spain.
Jake Gagne 45
12th
I was happy with the progress made today in warm up because we improved the feeling with the front-end of the bike and the rear grip got better, too. My start to the race was pretty good, but unfortunately I found myself on the outside at turn two and that cost me a couple of places. Because of that, I ended up losing a couple of seconds from the group ahead. It was kind of a bummer, because I think we could have stayed with them and battled for a better finish. But nevertheless I’m happy because we made a lot of progress throughout the weekend and I learned a lot, so thanks to the team and Honda for inviting me back for one more race this year.
Davide Giugliano 34
DNS
It’s a real shame that I was unable to take part into this final race of the season, but unfortunately the gastroenteritis has been debilitating me for a few days now, and today I was in no condition to compete. I want to thank Honda and the team for this great opportunity to get back to the World Superbike paddock this year, it has been a pleasure to work with such a great squad. The boys have done an incredible job and Ronald has put together a great group of people. It has been a tough year for all of them no doubt, but I’m sure things will turn around for the better soon and I think we have done a good job with the bike in these few rounds together, which will hopefully set things into a good direction for the future.
Ronald ten Kate
Team Manager
Today it became evident as we got closer to the race that Davide’s physical condition was getting worse and worse, so it was a wise decision by the Medical Director to declare him unfit to compete. We want to thank him for stepping in this year as well as for his contribution and feedback to the development of the Fireblade. Jake managed to equal his best WorldSBK result today to wrap up what was a very positive round for him: he improved session after session and he could have aimed for a top-10 finish had he not lost touch with the group ahead in the early stages. Let’s not forget this was only his third-ever World Superbike round and the first under floodlights – on a track he had never ridden before. So hats off to him for today’s performance and a thank you for racing with us. All in all, it has been a very difficult season from many angles but we will come back stronger and hopefully this year will serve us well for a better 2018.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Second place in both the race and the championship for Davies in the season finale in Qatar, Melandri 6th
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team took it back to the track at Losail (Qatar) for the final race of the 2017 WorldSBK Championship. Chaz Davies, second under the checkered flag as in Race 1, thus seized the goal to finish the championship in second position with 403 points to his tally. Marco Melandri, third in Race 1, struggled with grip issues to finish in sixth position.
Thanks to a blistering start from third row, Davies took the lead going into turn 1 and dictated the pace early on. After saving a near crash at turn 5, the Welshman managed the race from second position given that Sykes, his rival for runner-up position, was forced to retire. Melandri faced an uphill race due to lingering grip issues. The Italian, who in his first year on the Panigale R took 13 podiums (including one win) to finish fourth overall, fought valiantly to take sixth position.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team would like to thank Ernesto Marinelli, Superbike Project Director, for the great work done together in the past three seasons, which resulted in 24 wins and 73 podiums overall, and wishes him the best for his future professional endeavors. The team will resume action on November 22-24 at Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) for the first winter tests ahead of the 2018 championship.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 2nd
“We sealed second position in the championship, which was our goal going into this round, so I’m very happy. It’s been another tough race. I probably made the best start of my career, then got my head down while keeping an eye on Sykes’ position. I nearly crashed at turn 5, it felt like a rodeo but we hung on to it. Once I saw Sykes was out, I just tried to control the gap as second place was the best we could do today. Thanks to Ducati and Aruba.it for another exciting season, I’m looking forward to 2018.”
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 6th
“Despite the great work done with the team in these three days, we couldn’t find grip and in Race 2 we had to manage a few extra issues. I didn’t have much traction at maximum lean angle, and even on the straight the bike was moving a lot and I couldn’t open the throttle at 100 percent. I would have liked to finish the year with a different result but, looking at the bright side, we had some memorable races and we still have plenty of room for improvement. Now we’ll recharge to start winter testing, which will be very important, in our best shape. We want to be title contenders in 2018.”
Ernesto Marinelli, Superbike Project Director
“It’s been a very intense weekend. With Chaz we managed, thanks to his incredibile determination, to take second position in the championship, which we barely missed last year, even though we always race to win. It’s been a special round for me, as it was my last race with the team. I want to thank from the bottom of my heart Ducati, Aruba.it, and the guys in the team for all their efforts, and all the Ducati fans for the great moments we shared, which I’ll always remember.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Rea signs off fantastic season with Losail victory
Triple World Champion concludes 2017 campaign with another triumph, whilst Davies and Lowes join him on the podium
The final race of the 2017 season at the Acerbis Qatar Round on Saturday night brought another win for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) as he crossed the line just under two seconds ahead of Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) in third. The victory gives Rea the record of most points in a single WorldSBK season (556 points), beating the previous record set by Colin Edwards in 2002, as the Northern Irishman ends the year with 16 victories and 24 podiums in 2017.
Davies made an incredible start as he shot from eighth on the grid to first within the first two corners, but Rea soon took control of the race on lap four and he did not look back from there.
With 14 laps to go Welshman Davies survived a big wobble – with perhaps the biggest save of the season – holding his nerve to continue on the pace and ultimately wrap up second place in the race and second place in the final championship standings.
Lowes got the better of his Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team colleague Michael van der Mark in the second half of the race and finally finished 1.658s ahead of the Dutchman.
Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) ended the season on a high in fifth place, whilst Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was 5.688s behind the Spaniard in sixth place. Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) beat Sylvain Guintoli (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) to seventh by less than half a second, overcoming the Frenchman on the last lap.
Leon Camier completed his last race with MV Agusta Reparto Corse in ninth place just ahead of Roman Ramos (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven).
A huge crash for Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) at Turn 5 in the early running meant his last race with BMW ended in the gravel, the Spanish rider seen bravely walking away after the massive highside. On the third lap Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) crashed out of third place at turn 14, ending his hopes of challenging Davies for the championship runner-up spot.
Davide Giugliano (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was declared unfit due to gastroenteritis and therefore the unwell Italian missed out on the last race of the year.
The WorldSBK riders will be back in action at the first round of the 2018 season at Phillip Island in Australia next February.
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
“It’s incredible, I don’t really have emotions or words, just a lot of thanks to the people who have put me in this position. Most of all I want to thank my rivals, I’ve really enjoyed this season and I’m excited about the prospect of 2018, these seasons don’t come along every day, so I just want to savor it for now.”
P2 – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I had the biggest save and the one I needed to do the most, I put my chest though the screen and as soon as I realized I could save it I managed to hold onto second spot. We sealed P2 which was our objective so I’m really happy, it was a tough race but I’m so happy with the results”
P3 – Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
“To be honest yesterday I was really disappointed, I knew I had the pace to challenge for the podium. I am happy with today, it wasn’t easy and I was a long way back but I stayed calm; I did a good job and I’m so happy for the whole team.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Lowes Back on the Podium as Pata Yamaha End Season in Sensational Fashion
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team bounced back in incredible style on Saturday under the floodlights in Qatar at the final round of the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship, to confirm the progress made this year after their unfortunate double DNF in Race 1. Alex Lowes rode one of his best races of the season to charge from 10th on the grid to third, claiming his fourth podium of 2017 and ensuring he ended the year on a high. Not to be outdone, his teammate Michael van der Mark was also involved in the battle for the podium, just missing out as he crossed the line in fourth behind Lowes, to cap off a season that has seen the Pata Yamaha Team emerge as serious WorldSBK contenders.
Lowes was determined to bounce back in the final race of 2017 after Race 1’s misfortune, but had his work cut out for him from tenth on the grid. When the lights went out, the 27-year-old British rider had a good start and set about finding his rhythm on his Pata Yamaha R1. Up into eighth by the end of the first lap, he continued to make superb progress and by the fourth lap, he had fought this way up to fourth, just behind his teammate van der Mark, who had made a sensational start and was closing the gap to the leaders.
As the race developed, Lowes’ pace got quicker and quicker as he hunted down his teammate, making an excellent move entering Turn 1 on the 13th lap for third position. He then set his sights on Chaz Davis and Jonathan Rea ahead of him, matching the Kawasaki and Ducati for pace and showing just how much the Pata Yamaha R1 has improved in 2017. To highlight the progress made this season, Lowes’ R1 recorded the highest top speed down the 1068m straight at the Losail International Circuit, a scorching 320.5kph. Pushing as hard as he could in the latter stages, the 2013 British Superbike Champion managed to stick with Davies, but could not quite get close enough to challenge for second position, eventually crossing the line in third just 4.185s behind the race winner Jonathan Rea, to finish the season in style. Lowes’ fourth podium of the year sees him end 2017 fifth in the championship standings with 242 points and he now heads into the winter break full of confidence and looking forward to 2018.
His teammate van der Mark had also suffered from bad luck in Race 1, as he crashed out after a misjudgement saw him make contact with Tom Sykes bringing an end to his incredible run of 11 consecutive point-scoring finishes. Like his teammate Lowes, he showed what he is made of on Saturday in the hot and humid conditions in Qatar as he pulled off a breathtaking ride in Race 2. Lining up 12th on the grid, he made a blistering start that, incredibly, saw him up into fifth by the end of the first lap.
Showing scintillating race pace, he stayed within two seconds of Davies and Rea ahead of him until lap 9 but, unfortunately, in charging through the field in such aggressive fashion, he had used up his rear tyre. When his teammate Lowes made a move on him with 5 laps to go he did just did not have the grip levels to fight back but, undeterred, he continued to ride superbly and match the pace of the riders in front of him to bring his R1 home in fourth, to complete an excellent end to the season for the Pata Yamaha Team. In doing so, he recorded his 20th top ten finish of the year and secured sixth in the championship standings with 223 points but, more importantly, confirmed the pace he had shown in the last few rounds, establishing himself as a regular podium contender in the process and the 2014 Supersport World Champion is already looking forward to the start of the 2018 season.
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team ended the season on a high and will now head to the official off-season test in Jerez on the 22-24th of November full of confidence and knowing that they are entering into the 2018 season in the best possible way. Check out the Race 2 results.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 3rd +4.185s
“Yesterday’s race was really hard to take for me because, honestly, I felt really good all weekend and I just made a mistake in the last corner when trying to challenge Chaz Davies. Unfortunately, it was a little mistake that had a big consequence. It was hard mentally to come back today and push hard as I knew starting from tenth was going to be difficult. In the first six laps, I didn’t feel as good on the bike as I hoped to. I was losing time to the riders in front but then I felt really strong and I was coming forward all the time and was able to match the leaders’ pace. It is fantastic to get a podium after the crash yesterday; the team and Yamaha fully deserve it and I am happy to end the season like this and go into the winter break with a smile on my face and motivated next year to fight the top guys at every race!!”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 4th +5.843s
“It’s been a good last race of the season and I am happy with fourth place after coming from 12th on the grid. I had a really good start and a strong first lap, plus I was feeling so much better with the bike today than yesterday and my pace was quite good. I tried everything to follow Chaz Davies but could not close the gap and Alex was closing quickly behind me, then he passed me and I couldn’t stay with him because I had used up my rear tyre. To finish the season with Alex on the podium and myself in fourth is really good because in the last couple of races we have improved so much with the R1. We have been more consistent and it gives us something to build on during the winter and for the new season with the new rules. I am looking forward to testing again and already I am thinking about Race 1 in Phillip Island next year!”
Paul Denning
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team Principal
“This evening’s race was a great way to end the 2017 season for Alex, Michael and the whole Pata Yamaha Team! The performance from both riders from the fourth row of the grid, after last night’s misfortunes, is another confirmation of the steps taken, especially in the second half of this season, and gives us real confidence going into the winter and the 2018 season. We are getting consistently closer to the championship’s dominant riders, backed up by the fact that on lap 3 Alex was 3.3s behind the leader and on lap 15 had actually closed the gap to 3 seconds. The pace of the Yamaha R1 has improved significantly and there are more exciting developments coming in the test at the end of November. Whilst it is positive to look forward, I would also like to reflect on this season and thank everyone involved in the project for their dedication and hard work in helping Yamaha to become a serious contender for WorldSBK honours. In addition, a fond farewell to Alex’s crew chief Ian Prestwood who is moving onto a new project, and a big “welcome” to former Yamaha WorldSBK rider Andrew Pitt who will work with Alex in 2018. Finally, huge congratulations to Lucas Mahias and the GRT Yamaha Team on winning the WorldSSP Championship after an incredible end to the season.”