WorldSBK Race Lap Record: 1:34.720, Jonathan Rea, 2015

WorldSBK Pole/Circuit Best Lap Record: 1:33.640, Tom Sykes, 2018

Motul FIM Superbike World Championship

Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli

Rimini, San Marino

June 23, 2019

Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 21 laps, Total Race Time 34:06.731, Best Lap Time, 1:36.887

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), -0.381 second, 1:36.814

3. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -5.880 seconds, 1:37.079

4. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -6.203, 1:37.158

5. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -7.147, 1:37.172

6. Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), -7.682, 1:37.375

7. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), -10.916, 1:37.222

8. Michele Pirro, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -14.268, 1:37.609

9. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -20.043, 1:37.669

10. Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -22.127, 1:37.875

11. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -27.107, 1:38.094

12. Loris Baz, France (Yam YZF-R1), -27.475, 1:38.179

13. Samuele Cavalieri, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -36.333, 1:38.293

14. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Duc Panigale V4 R), -37.033, crash, 1:37.017

15. Sandro Cortese, Germany (Yam YZF-R1), -47.697, crash, 1:36.896

16. Marco Melandri, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -50.834, crash, 1:36.950

17. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -65.352, 1:39.588

18. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), -3 laps, DNF, crash, 1:38.337

19. Yuki Takahashi, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -4 laps, DNF, crash, 1:38.919

20. Alessandro Delbianco, Italy (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -12 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:38.554

21. Dominic Schmitter, Switzerland (Yam YZF-R1), DNS

World Championship Point Standings (after 18 of 37 races):

1. Bautista, 330 points

2. Rea, 314

3. Michael van der Mark, 188

4. Lowes, 164

5. Haslam, 153

6. Razgatlioglu, 121

7. Melandri, 116

8. Davies, 114

9. Sykes, 110

10. Cortese, 93

11. Rinaldi, 77

12. Torres, 75

13. Reiterberger, 56

14. Eugene Laverty, 32

15. Baz, 28

16. TIE, Leon Camier/Mercado, 26

18. Zanetti, 21

19. Kiyonari, 14

20. Tommy Bridewell, 12

21. Takahashi, 11

22. TIE, Pirro/Delbianco, 10

24. Cavalieri, 6

25. Hector Barbera, 3

(Above) Jonathan Rea (1) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) racing for the lead in Race Two. Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.

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

#RiminiWorldSBK – Day 3:

Rea conquerers his 75th WorldSBK victory as Bautista crashes early on

Reigning World Champion wins after going head-to-head with Toprak Razgatlioglu on the final lap, slashing Bautista’s lead to 16 points

With a 39-point advantage over Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) had a comfortable margin ahead of Race 2 in WorldSBK, combined with a pole position start. The 34-year-old Spaniard looked set for another win but, for a second round, Bautista crashed out of the lead at the start of Lap 2 at Turn 4. This made for an incredible battle at the front as the championship catapulted into life in Italy.

With the race underway, Bautista took the holeshot into Turn 1 as the pack filtered through as neat as possible. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) blasted through the order and was into third by Turn 1, challenging Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) into Turn 4. At Turn 14, Jonathan Rea sliced under the Turkish rider for third place.

Then, drama at Turn 4 on Lap 2 as Alvaro Bautista made another error, crashing out of the lead as the front end gave way. The Spaniard crashed out, leaving Leon Haslam in the lead ahead of teammate Rea, whilst Razgatlioglu was third ahead of Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Bautista re-joined but was at the back of the field.

With 18 laps to go, it was Razgatlioglu who put a move on Rea at Turn 4, before leading at Turn 1 a lap later, ahead of Leon Haslam. At Turn 14 on the same lap, Rea lunged ahead of Haslam, as the five-time WorldSBK race winner began to fade away. The number 91 then suffered a collision with Marco Melandri as the Italian tried an audacious pass into Turn 2. Both stayed upright but it allowed Razgatlioglu and Rea to break away.

It was another race to forget for Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), from a weekend that looked to show so much promise after Saturday. The German crashed once more but re-joined the race.

With 12 laps left to go, the race was far from decided, with two separate battles: Razgatlioglu defended at the front from Jonathan Rea, whilst Leon Haslam held on to third ahead of Marco Melandri, as Alex Lowes began to claw time back on the battling duo ahead of him. Meanwhile, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was lapping half-a-second a lap quicker than those ahead of him.

Three laps to go and it was another disaster for the GRT Yamaha squad, as Marco Melandri crashed at Turn 8, as grip deteriorated with rising track temperatures. Melandri’s crash promoted Bautista into the points. A lap later, and the battle for the race win had calmed, as Rea made a mistake at Turn 10, momentarily letting Razgatlioglu off the hook.

The final four laps was when Jonathan Rea made his move out front, taking the lead at Turn 1. It was a heart-in-mouth moment for Razgatlioglu at Turn 4 however, as he came within millimetres of hitting the rear of Rea, with his rear wheel in the air. The fight was far from done, as the 22-year-old Turkish rider stayed glued to the rear end of Rea.

The final lap beckoned, and it was going to be a head-to-head between the young pretender and the four-time WorldSBK Champion. Razgatlioglu tried at Turn 4 but thought better of it, waiting until Turn 8 to make his move. Toprak ran wide, with Rea slicing back ahead and the gloves were really off. As the lap came to a close, Rea defended superbly and despite Razgatlioglu bouncing up the rear wheel of Rea at the final corner, he couldn’t get the better of the reigning-quadruple WorldSBK Champion. Rea took the win ahead of the Turkish star, to take a 75th WorldSBK win and become the highest point-scorer of all time. Third place went to Leon Haslam, ahead of Lowes and Michael Ruben Rinaldi.

Sixth went to Tom Sykes ahead of Chaz Davies, whilst Michele Pirro (BARNI Racing Team), Lorenzo Zanetti (Team Goeleven) and Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) completed the top ten, in a frantic, feisty end to Race 2.

The championship gap is down to 16 between Bautista and Rea at the top, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu moved into the top Independent slot in the championship, with his best ride of his WorldSBK career.

P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

“Toprak did an incredible job! Congratulation to him and his team I had to wait because I had to conserve the tyres and even with that, in the end, I was struggling a bit, and I could see that he was struggling as well on the front, trying to closing the lines. I’d just kept pushing because that 25 points were important but the conditions today compared to the rest of the weekend were difficult. It was very slippery out there, so I tried my best to minimize the risk and take the maximum. This was a really good race, and now I am looking forward to Donington”.

P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)

“I started from the fourth position, and after a few laps, I found a good feeling with the bike. I try to take the lead, and when I got there I kept pushing all laps, and I saw that the gap was increasing, but on the final lap Jonny caught me, and we had I fought with him! It wasn’t easy. He took the lead, I tried again, but in the end, I couldn’t get back to first place. I am pleased especially after the big crash I had yesterday, and I want to dedicate this race to my crew! Thanks to them. I am happy because this has been my best race and I will try again in Donington!”

P3 – Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

“We definitely made a good step, but I felt we were struggling a bit in the race. I had a good battle with Alex Lowes for the third step of the podium so I can’t be too unhappy, but I felt I had to manage a few little issues. I think that everybody was in the same position. The temperature is high today. I enjoy the battle! My home race is next so I can’t wait for that one”.

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Rea Wins Kawasaki Podium Lockout

Jonathan Rea (KRT) finished fifth and then first in the two WorldSBK races at Misano today and with his team-mate Leon Haslam third in Race Two, and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) second, it was an all Ninja ZX-10RR podium. Rea has cut Alvaro Bautista’s championship lead to just 16 points this weekend

Before the Race Two podium domination the ten-lap Tissot-Superpole race – effectively a sprint race – provided had already provided a podium for KRT, as Leon Haslam took third spot in a crash-strewn race. Rea had led the race, then fell from second place, remounting to take fifth place.

On a dry track in Race Two, which was hotter than the morning Superpole race, Bautista took a lead after his sprint race win. He fell on lap two, allowing first Haslam, and then Razgatlioglu and Rea, to do the front-running.

Rea and Razgatlioglu had a crowd-pleasing fight for the final win of the weekend on the final laps, with the eventual margin of victory only 0.381 seconds. Rea now has 75 career race wins, and a round figure of 150 career podiums from 262 race starts.

The three Ninja ZX-10RR riders that filled the Race Two podium – Rea, Razgatlioglu and Haslam – are the same three riders picked to race in the official Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8 Hours squad next month.

After the Sunday races at Misano Kawasaki has now scored over 400 podium places in WorldSBK, with a new total of 403.

Arriving 41 points behind Bautista, Rea now leaves Italy for a home round in the UK next time out just 16 points adrift, and with two more race wins to his credit.

Haslam is still working toward finding an ideal set-up but his strong recovery from two crashes at Misano saw him leave with two more podium finishes, his first top threes since round one at Phillip Island. Haslam is fifth overall, just 11 points from fourth place as he approaches Donington, a circuit which is almost literally a home round for him.

In the championship standings Bautista has 330, Rea 314, Van Der Mark 188, Alex Lowes 164 and Haslam 153.

The next round will be held at Donington Park, between 5 and 7 July.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “Winning two races at Misano was good for us, especially the two important races. Unfortunately in the Superpole Race today I made a big mistake in turn ten, when I lost the front. But I restarted to finish fifth which was all important for the weekend. Race Two today was a tough one because the temperature was hot. I was very unsure of the pace. I felt like it was slow but I did not want to push any faster. I saw Alvaro go down very early in the race and the conditions out there were very tough, especially for the front tyre. The rear was just not digging in and going forward, it was just spinning so much – but we won, which was the main thing. It was a super-nice day for Kawasaki because we put three bikes on the Race Two podium. Team Suzuka! Donington next and we will go to every track with an open mentality.”

Leon Haslam, stated: “The third place in the sprint race today was just a matter of staying on and bridging the gap to Tom Sykes, and I managed to pass him on the last lap. This afternoon I was struggling from lap one and did not have much front feeling, but I think everybody was in the same position. When Johnny and Toprak came past I felt I could have pushed to go with them but I had already risked too much so I had to run my own race. Alex was then behind me and I did not want to give up the podium, so I fought a little bit at the end. We have made some good steps from the Jerez test but there are little things we are still finding out.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) finished just behind Haslam in fourth place in the short race but finished in a strong second place in Race Two, running out front of his fellow Kawasaki riders for 13 laps. He is now sixth overall and the top Independent Rider in the championship standings.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, stated: “For me, Race Two was my best race. In the short race I did not like the feel because yesterday I had a big crash and we tried the second bike. I did not have a good feeling in the race because the rear was sliding too much. I knew Race Two was important because I started from fourth position and I needed to stay with the front group. In the race I followed Johnny and Leon after Bautista crashed and I felt the bike was good, especially under had braking. I pushed in all laps and made a gap but I saw Johnny was coming. In the last lap I tried to get to the front again but it was not easy. After my crash yesterday this podium was for my crew who did a good job, and we tried a small set-up change that worked. Imola, Jerez and here, on the podium.”

Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) finished eleventh in the sprint and then tenth in Race Two. He is 12th in the championship standings.

Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) pushed himself to ninth in the sprint but fell in Race Two. He remounted but was eventually forced to retire. Leandro, despite missing some races through injury, is 17th in the points.

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

Solid points gained for BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli

Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli

Following on from yesterday’s podium success the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team prepared for the final two races of the weekend under hot and sunny conditions. Tom Sykes lined up in P3 for the 10 lap sprint race with team mate Markus Reiterberger respectively on the fourth row in P12.

Sykes got off to a good start despite dropping a place and maintained P4 for the next 5 laps until a charging Alex Lowes passed him on Lap 5. The race was far from over and a chance at a podium loomed once again with crash from Sandro Cortese at T16 and then Jonathan Rea at T10 meant Sykes was now running in P3, with Leon Haslam hot on his tail with just 2 laps to go. Unfortunately, Tom Sykes suffered a cruel mechanical issue with just half a lap to go resulting in a DNF.

Markus Reiterberger equally got off to a good start as he ended lap 1 in P13 battling with Frenchman Loris Baz and Honda’s Yuki Takahashi. With the crashes in front of him Markus would end his race in P13.

The final race of the weekend soon approached but following Tom Sykes’ DNF in the previous race it meant he had to start P11 on the grid. Again Sykes got off to a good start promoting himself up two places sitting in P9 just behind Cortese and Michael Ruben Rinaldi, however with another crash from #11 Cortese and #7 Chaz Davies this meant he would inherit P7 with 10 laps to go. Sykes struggled to get passed Rinaldi as the gap to him grew bigger with every lap and looked set for P7 in the race, but with another Yamaha crash from Marco Melandri a solid P6 was all that could be managed come the chequered flag.

Between the sprint race and Race 2 for Markus Reiterberger big changes were made to his BMW S 1000 RR with the head angle and swing-arm angle included on the list. Markus found himself in a 4-way battle for P12 in the early stages of the race but broke away from the group again with Frenchman Loris Baz. With the crashes ahead of him in the race Markus brought his BMW S 1000 RR in P11 – his best result of the weekend.

Round 7 of the WorldSBK Championship has been one to remember for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team following their maiden podium of 2019. The team will now re-group and get set for SMR’s home race at Donington Park in just 2 weeks’ time.

Shaun Muir – Team Principal

“We are really gutted for Tom. He has put all his effort in and got very little reward for it in the sprint race when with just half a lap to go he had a mechanical DNF when he could have been on the podium. That would also have meant third on the grid for the main race but he had to go from P11 on the grid and we all know that it’s difficult to pass the Ducatis in a straight line. He came within 1.8 seconds of the podium from 11th on the grid and I think that shows the talent and effort that he put in there. So, we apologise to Tom for not giving him the tools today. However, I think we can all see that there has been real progress and he is going to come back strong for sure at Donington.

Markus on the other hand is still struggling to find his real form and we’re not yet where we want to be, we will look at all the data and sit down to discuss the set-up for Donington and hopefully with the cooler track temperatures it can be good towards our tyre wear and he and Tom can come back and do a good job at our home round.”

Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

“On the whole, we can be very happy with the Misano weekend. It is obviously a shame that we were denied our next podium by a mechanical issue this morning. However, you must not forget that this kind of thing can always happen with a fledgling project like ours. We will analyse what the cause was. That is part of the learning process.

The podium in Saturday’s race was the next important step with our new BMW S 1000 RR. The sprint and main race on Sunday allowed us to demonstrate the progress we have made with the development of the RR. The performance was spot on. If Tom had started from further up the grid in the afternoon, he could have challenged for a spot on the podium again. In the end, he missed out by under two seconds. However, his sixth place was another good result. The hard work also paid off for Markus and his crew. They took a step forward and this is the direction to go now. We now must continue this positive trend at Donington Park.”

Tom Sykes (GBR)

“It was a little bit unfortunate. I honestly feel that we had three podiums in reach. We were third in the sprint race until the last lap and had a issue which allowed Leon Haslam to come close and then unfortunately we retired.

That didnt help the cause as this meant that I started the last big race from the fourth row which cost me some time in the first few laps. The whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team did a great job. I feel if we had started from the front row we could have gone away, kept our rhythm and I definitely feel that this would have allowed another podium position. So a little bit of a shame but on the plus side we’ve had a podium, we finished second this weekend with the all-new BMW S 1000 RR, we are showing its potential. Even in this last race we had very good consistency. We will build on this.”

Markus Reiterberger (GER)

“Today was better than yesterday, although my start was not so good in the Superpole race and a mistake cost me valuable time. The result was that I had to settle for 14th on the grid in race two. However, I made a good start and was able to hold on to 12th and later 11th place for the whole race. I did my best, did not make any mistakes, and brought the BMW S 1000 RR home safe and sound. The track conditions were more difficult today. It was very hot and I have never known there be so little grip. It was tough for everyone, but we coped well. We have taken a small step forward, which gives us more confidence. We will continue to work hard to improve. So a big thank you to the whole team.”

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

A tough Sunday for the Moriwaki Althea Team at Misano.

The third and final day of the WorldSBK race weekend at Misano proved to be a challenging one for the Moriwaki Althea Honda Team. After some very heavy rain on Saturday, both the Superpole race and Race 2 took place under clear blue skies and in high temperatures today.

Yuki Takahashi concluded the morning’s sprint race in 14th place, followed by team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari in 15th. Yuki was pushing hard in Race 2 trying to catch Sandro Cortese in 15th place but he unfortunately crashed with two laps to go, though with no physical consequences. Kiyonari concluded Race 2 in seventeenth position.

Ryuichi Kiyonari

SUPERPOLE RACE P15 RACE 2 P17

“This Misano round has been tough for me because I could not improve my feeling with the bike, especially with the front, and the fluctuating conditions over the weekend did not help the situation. Having said that, it is me who has to adapt to this kind of tricky conditions and for this reason I wish to apologize for the team for a less than satisfactory weekend”.

Yuki Takahashi

SUPERPOLE RACE P14 RACE 2 RET

“We made quite a good start in the Superpole race and the decision to use the Pirelli soft tyre was a good one, as it worked well during the race and we were able to lap consistently enough until the end. We also changed something in terms of set-up, looking for more grip, and I think we saw a little improvement. We continued in that direction also for Race 2, adjusting the bike’s settings a bit, and I was happy with my feeling on the bike. We know it is not enough yet of course, but we worked very hard and I hope this work will be useful for the future. I also wish to say sorry to the team for the race 2 crash, as I made a mistake in braking, and I thank everyone for their support and hard work this weekend.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Lowes Returns to the Podium in Sweltering and Slippery Misano

Alex Lowes returned to the podium today in Misano, with a superb ride to second place in the 10-lap Superpole sprint race. The Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider looked all set to repeat his podium performance in Race 2 this afternoon but, with grip levels at an all-time low, Lowes erred on the side of caution and took the points for fourth place rather than risking all to pass Kawasaki’s Leon Haslam on the final lap.

Rising temperatures and a slick track surface made for a difficult first outing for the WorldSBK grid today but, unfazed by the tricky conditions, Lowes rode an intelligent race to second place in the 10-lap sprint race. Grip was at even more of a premium for Race 2, with a number of riders caught out by the increasingly unpredictable track, but Lowes again rode to the limit dictated by the conditions, to round out his weekend with another points scoring finish in fourth place. The results mean that Lowes remains fourth in the championship standings with 164 points, but with the gap to his teammate in third now just 24 points.

It proved a frustrating day for GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Sandro Cortese, with crashes in both races while running close to the front. The reigning Supersport World Champion made the most of a front row start in the sprint race to initially challenge for the podium but was left disappointed after losing the front and crashing out of third place just after half race distance. Cortese was keen to make amends in Race 2 but, again, the GRT Yamaha rider was caught out by the tricky conditions in the early stages and crashed while running with the lead group. Cortese managed to rejoin and salvage a single point in 15th place at the chequered flag.

Marco Melandri rode an impressive sprint race, which he started from 19th on the grid as a result of a penalty imposed after Race 2 in Jerez. The veteran Italian picked up places on every lap to eventually finish sixth and claim a second row start for Race 2. Unfortunately, Melandri was unable to capitalise on this due to a crash on lap 13 while challenging for the podium positions. The GRT Yamaha rider remounted but finished outside the points in 16th place.

Loris Baz continued his familiarization with the Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK R1 today, but with hot and sunny conditions replacing the torrential rain of yesterday, the Frenchman was unable to replicate his top five finish in Race 1 today. 12th in the sprint race this morning, Baz rounded out his Misano weekend with a points scoring 12th place finish again in Race 2 this afternoon.

Pata Yamaha’s Michael van der Mark returned to the Misano paddock today, following his heavy crash in FP2 on Friday. The Jerez race winner was sporting a plaster cast on his injured wrist but was able to confirm that further examination had revealed that the two ribs thought fractured on Friday were in fact just bruised. Van der Mark will undergo surgery at Rimini Hospital to plate his fractured right radius, after which a decision will be made in conjunction with his medical team as to when he will be fit to return to action.

Alex Lowes

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK

“The weekend has been a pretty good one overall, marred only by the mistake yesterday when I was trying to win Race 1. I got caught out by new standing water, which was a bit unexpected at that point in the race, but I’ll learn from it. This morning was good, and I was expecting to be stronger this afternoon, but we struggled a bit with acceleration as the temperature rose and grip went down. We’d made some changes to the bike compared to Friday, but the worsening track condition made it difficult to assess whether these were an improvement or not. It was tough for everyone in the race today. I tried to pass Haslam a few times, but I didn’t feel comfortable on the front and couldn’t make the passes stick, so I had to settle for fourth in the end. Now it’s off to Donington, my home track, after a two-day test in Suzuka – I’m looking forward to it!”

Sandro Cortese

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK

“First of all, I’m very sorry for the team and my crew, as they did a fantastic job this weekend and it’s a shame we leave here with just one point after today, because a lot more was possible, including a first WorldSBK podium finish. The positive thing is that we made a big step since Jerez and I was able to run with the front group, which was our goal for this weekend. In the end I had two crashes where I lost the front and both times I didn’t feel I was on the limit but, once again, I learned a lot this weekend. A big shame and a big disappointment because everyone gave their all this weekend. But that’s racing; you have ups and you have downs. Now I am looking forward to working hard to be ready for Donington.”

Marco Melandri

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK

“Actually, it was a good weekend for me, even if I missed the result in Race 2 today. In the sprint race the bike felt much better for me; we knew it was going to be hard to finish top nine from 19th on the grid but, in the end, I had a little bit of luck and finished sixth. In Race 2 I got a good start, but I wasn’t going to accept to finish fourth, so I was pushing hard to pass Haslam, which wasn’t easy. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake and went down. I’m sorry for the team and for Yamaha because they’ve been working so hard and they never gave up, even after difficult days. That makes me more motivated than ever for the next round in Donington, a track that will suit the Yamaha well.”

Loris Baz

Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK

“Overall, it’s been a good weekend, with the fourth place yesterday putting a smile on people’s faces in the team. The sprint race was tough today, as I was expecting a good feeling after the warm-up, but in the race the feeling was gone and I felt close to crashing on the front in every corner. We made a change for Race 2, but that just moved the problem from the front to the rear and I was spinning up everywhere. It’s the first time I’ve ever had more grip on the last lap than the first! I finished 12th, picked up some points and continued the learning process. At the moment, the most important thing for us is to finish every race, collect the data and increase our understanding of the bike and the tyres. Now we head to Donington, where we will try to make another step.”

Andrea Dosoli

Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager

“It’s been a weekend of mixed fortunes in terms of results, but they don’t truly reflect the performance of the Yamaha R1s here in Misano. Michael was fastest in the dry on Friday before his unfortunate FP2 crash left him unable to continue, while Alex returned to the podium with second place in the sprint race and then backed that up with fourth place in Race 2. He was also leading the wet Race 1 by a considerable margin before he was caught out by the worsening conditions and crashed. Loris also showed that our R1 is competitive in the wet by finishing fourth in the same race, despite a limited amount of time on the bike. Sandro demonstrated his pace today by running towards the front in both races, although his challenge for a first WorldSBK podium was ultimately spoiled by two front end crashes. Marco, who on Friday struggled to find the feeling that made him so competitive in Jerez, improved things in the races. Sixth in the wet yesterday was followed by him battling for the podium in a dry Race 2 today, until a small mistake dropped him out of the points. While these performances show clearly that Yamaha has a competitive package in all conditions, we need to continue working to ensure that this is better reflected in the results from the next race onwards.”

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

Álvaro Bautista crashes out in Race 2 in Round 7 of the Superbike World Championship at Misano Adriatico, after winning the Superpole Race, while Chaz Davies arrives twice at the flag, but in 17th and 7th place

For the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, the Riviera di Rimini Round of the Superbike World Championship proved to be more complicated than expected, with both riders – Álvaro Bautista and Chaz Davies – for various reasons unable to bring home satisfactory results in the home race for the Aruba team and for Ducati.

Due to a crash at Turn 4 on lap 2 of the second race while he was in the lead, the championship leader Bautista saw his advantage in the table reduced to just 16 points over his closest rival Rea (Kawasaki). Bautista did manage to get back on the bike and finish the race in 14th place, picking up just two points. This morning, he dominated the Superpole Race over ten laps, taking the chequered flag ahead of Lowes (Yamaha) and Haslam (Kawasaki).

Unfortunately, it was another difficult weekend for his team-mate Chaz Davies, who struggled in both races today. In the Superpole Race, following a crash at Turn 14 on lap 3, he finished in 17th place after rejoining the race. After making some modifications to the set-up for Race 2, Chaz struggled with a lack of grip and was unable to go any higher than seventh place.

Bautista still leads the table with 330 points, 16 more than Rea, while Davies is in eighth place with 114 points. The next race in the championship – the UK Round – will take place in two weeks’ time at the Donington Park circuit, from 5th to 7th July.

Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) – 1st / 14th

“I’m happy but at the same time very angry with myself about the results of today’s two races. It went well in the morning’s Superpole Race because we were on really top form. After a good start I immediately took the lead, and set the pace right down to the chequered flag. In Race 2 it was very hot and the track didn’t have as much grip. On lap 2, I didn’t do anything strange at Turn 4, but just lost the front and crashed. Pity because our potential was obviously to fight for the win. Maybe the error came about because I was too confident after the win in the Superpole Race, but in any case we must have a good look at the data because I’ve made two similar mistakes in the last two races, and that’s not good. We have to understand why so as not to repeat the same mistakes and lose more points.”

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 17th / 7th

“It has been a difficult Sunday for me. I lost the front in the Superpole Race in Turn 14, and as a result didn’t get the chance to start in the top 9 for Race 2. Then we made some changes for Race 2, but they didn’t give us the step we needed. It was a critical racetrack today because grip was low, but it was the same for everyone. I just felt like I’ve got no adaptability with the bike, even though I tried to change my style during the race. It’s a bit frustrating to finish races like that, because I know we can do better than that. We just need to learn from the information and work hard in the areas that are letting us down at the moment.”