Pirelli Riviera di Rimini Round
Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Misano, San Marino
July 8, 2018
Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 21 laps, Total Race Time 33:34.637, Best Lap Time 1:34.944
2. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), -0.334 second, 1:35.212
3. Marco Melandri, Italy (Duc Panigale R), -0.595, 1:35.337
4. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), -2.382 seconds, 1:35.373
5. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -4.535, 1:35.616
6. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -6.559, 1:35.599
7. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Apr RSV4 RF), -7.193, 1:35.616
8. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Apr RSV4 RF), -9.972, 1:35.777
9. Loris Baz, France (BMW S1000RR), -13.874, 1:35.814
10. Leon Camier, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -14.047, 1:35.816
11. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -26.003, 1:35.988
12. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), -28.886, 1:36.539
13. Niccolo Canepa, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -33.758, 1:36.702
14. Jake Gagne, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -34.751, 1:36.510
15. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -36.892, 1:36.876
16. Yonny Hernandez, Colombia (Kaw ZX-10RR), -36.983, 1:36.660
17. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), -56.465, crash, 1:36.459
18. PJ Jacobsen, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), -2 laps, DNF, retired, 1:37.529
19. Alessandro Andreozzi, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -6 laps, DNF, retired, 1:37.498
20. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), -19 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:36.103
21. Jordi Torres, Spain (MV Agusta F4 RC), -19 laps, DNF, mechanical, 1:37.331
World Championship Point Standings (after 18 of 26 races):
1. Rea, 370 points
2. Davies, 278
3. Van Der Mark, 248
4. Sykes, 218
5. TIE, Melandri/Lowes, 193
7. Fores, 164
8. Laverty, 113
9. Razgatlioglu, 100
10. Savadori, 92
11. Camier, 88
12. Baz, 86
13. Torres, 80
13. Baz, 79
14. Rinaldi, 59
15. TIE, Mercado/Ramos, 53
17. Gagne, 41
18. Hernandez, 24
19. Jacobsen, 21
20. Leon Haslam, 14
21. Davide Giugliano, 11
22. Canepa, 7
23. Karel Hanika, 5
24. Bradley Ray, 3
25. Luke Mossey, 2
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team:
Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team claim another double points haul at Misano
Riviera di Rimini Round
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Italy
The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team secured another double point scoring result in Race 2 at Misano today, as Leon Camier took tenth place with Jake Gagne back in fourteenth position in what was another hot and challenging contest
For Race 2, Camier started from the second row of the grid in P6 and after a frantic start found himself in tenth place at the end of the first lap. In a carbon copy to yesterday’s race, Camier was able to improve his pace in the middle stage of the race, and although he closed the gap to the riders ahead of him, he couldn’t improve his tenth place position as he crossed the finish line.
Back on row 7, Gagne also had a steady start, however the American was able to make progress through the field on his CBR1000RR and he came home in fourteenth place to add to his points tally for the season. After a tough qualifying result, the rookie rider turned his weekend around with point-scoring results in both races.
Camier’s championship points tally is now 88 and he sits eleventh in the standings, while Gagne is seventeenth overall with 41 points.
The WorldSBK season now enters its Summer break, with the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team next being in competitive action at the Portuguese round at Portimão from September 14-16.
Leon Camier 2
Today’s race was practically the same as yesterday, the second half was strong but I lost too much time in the early laps on new tyres. As the race went on I was able to slowly catch Baz in front of me, but overall this weekend our package just wasn’t as competitive as we hoped. We have a good idea on where we need to improve the bike, so the tests next month will be very important for us.
Jake Gagne 45
Another challenging race but the changes we made to the bike for Warm Up meant I was able to fight more in the race today. The first few laps were really tough as I was caught up behind some slower riders, but once I got some clean air I could set a good pace and make some passes. Considering how far back I qualified I’m happy I could put in a better performance in the races and score some points here at Misano.
Kervin Bos
Team Manager
It was another tough day at office for the team, after yesterday’s race we were hoping for an improvement but we were still struggling to improve our pace in the hot conditions. We now need to assess why we struggle in these conditions more than others as our results this weekend isn’t where we want to be. We have some tests during the Summer break where we have some development parts to test and our target is to finish the rest of the season in a stronger position than we are now.
More, from a press release issued by Gulf Althea BMW Racing:
Ninth for Baz in race 2 at Misano
Misano Adriatico (Italy), 7 July 2018
The Gulf Althea BMW Racing Team and rider Loris Baz have concluded the ninth round of the Superbike world championship with a ninth place finish in race 2 at the Misano World Circuit.
Superbike – Race 2 – just like yesterday, today’s race took place in very hot and sunny conditions. Baz started from tenth on the grid today, and was lying eleventh by the end of the first lap. Making up two positions almost immediately, the Frenchman did his best to stick with the group immediately in front of him, unfortunately losing contact with them during the second part of the race but managing to maintain his position, ninth, all the way to the line.
STK1000 Race – unfortunately Delbianco was unable to take part in today’s race. Considering the type of injury he has, a fractured humerus (sustained after a crash during the Italian CIV round of two weeks ago) that restricts the shoulder and arm movement required on the bike, it was decided, together with circuit doctors, that his participation in the race would be inopportune. The rider will now continue with his rehabilitation, hoping to be back in shape for the upcoming CIV Superbike race taking place in two weeks’ time.
At this point of the championship, Loris Baz lies twelfth in the Superbike classification with 86 points scored so far. In the Stock1000 category, Delbianco places eighth with 35 points.
Loris Baz:
“A tough race. The start was not bad, I overtook Leon quite fast, but the pace was very strong and we were all very close together through the first laps. I spent the early stages trying to match the pace of those ahead of me but after a while I had to reduce my rhythm somewhat, a little more than the other guys. A shame but I did the best I could. Missing yesterday’s race probably didn’t help either. I think we could have done a little better if I’d started further forward but anyway, I gave it my all and brought home some points. Over the summer break I’ll try to ride as much as possible, doing some supermotard training.”
More, form a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Records Another Double With Sykes Fifth
KRT riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes finished first and fifth respectively in the second 21-lap WorldSBK race at Misano, with Rea coming from the third row of the grid to record his tenth race win of the season. Sykes ended up fifth, with a better machine set-up than he had during the first race on Saturday.
Three–time world championship Jonathan Rea had to use all his skills and determination to secure the second race win of the Misano WorldSBK weekend, and with it his third double win of the season.
Having to pass several riders, some of them after more than one attempt, Rea seized a late opportunity to take the lead from long time front-runner Michael van der Mark, Jonathan eventually won by a narrow 0.334 seconds from van der Mark, with the third placed rider Marco Melandri just 0.595 seconds from Jonathan.
Rea set the fastest lap of the race, a 1’34.944, on lap ten, after breaking free of one of the riders who started ahead of him in the race.
Sykes had been in second place from laps three to four but gradually dropped back to take fifth place and with it defend his fourth place in the championship standings.
In winning race two today, Kawasaki now has a total of 120 race wins in WorldSBK since its inception in 1988, making the Akashi manufacturer the second most successful of all time in its own right. Kawasaki leads the 2018 Manufacturers’ Standings by 59 points.
Entering the long summer break Rea has a points total of 370, Chaz Davies has 278, van der Mark 248 and Sykes 218.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 12th in race two, despite his recent foot injury. He is ninth overall. Roman Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) placed 15th, for one more championship point. Yonny Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) finished 16th and Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 17th, despite suffering a crash.
With a long summer break looming, but an official test session at Portimao beforehand, the next round of the championship itself will take place at the same Portuguese venue, between the 14th and 16th of September.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “That was a super-super hard race. Yesterday I controlled the race. I could lead from the front, make my rhythm and go away. Today I could not make that in the beginning and I spent so much tyre and energy coming through the traffic. The bikes are so evenly matched now it is so hard to make a pass and make it stick. It was a hard job to track down Mikey and when I arrived I was starting to panic a little bit with five laps to go. I wanted to be in the lead by that stage and make a gap. I was worried about getting through because he was not making mistakes, but then he ran into the last corner a little bit deep, and I was able to pull alongside and outbrake him in T1. I made a lot of passes in that race and it was really hard work.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “Today was a big step in performance and we had a much better feeling with the chassis. With that we made a big step forward and it is a shame that we did not use this front fork at the beginning of the weekend. I just could not get the bike to do what I needed in some areas and I gave up a little bit of performance. In a lot of areas the bike was working really well. We just lost the edge grip, which is strange because the lap time was really consistent all race. I lost a lot of time at the beginning when I tried to push on new tyres I just could not do it. The bike performance compared to yesterday was much, much better.”
More, from a press release issued by Barni Racing:
World SBK, Forés forced to retire while he was at the lead
Misano Adriatico (ITA), 8th July 2018. Worst situation happened for The Barni Racing Team in race 2 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, ninth round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Xavi Forés was forced to retire during the second lap while he was in the lead. Started from the first row, Forés started like a storm and immediately took the lead. After few kilometers, however, at the curve of the “Tramonto” his Ducati Panigale R suffered a technical problem and the Spaniard had to stop the bike.
Misano Adriatico becomes a cursed track for the Barni Racing Team: last year, in race 2, Forés went out of scene when he was leading due to a problem with the exhaust.
After the sixth place in race 1, the weekend ends bitterly for Forés, who is seventh whit 164 points in the overall standings.
From now, a long summer vacation begins, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will be out on track next 14-16 September in Portugal, at the Algarve International Circuit, Portimão.
Marco Barnabò, Principal Manager
“The bad luck stuck us in the same way last year, we went off for a technical problem while we were in the lead. When these things happen for me it is really hard to send down because we make lots of sacrifices to put the rider in the best condition and if he can’t show his potential because something happens to the bike it hurts me more than any other thing.”
Xavi Forés, #12
“I’m really disappointed because the start was great and I was extremely confident. Repeating the pace of the warm up we could certainly fight for the podium. Unfortunately for us the race ended too early. A “zero” is not the right way to go on holidays, but on the other side I can say we are back as competitive as at the beginning of the season.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Melandri (3rd) takes another podium for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team in Race 2 at Misano, fourth position for Davies
After clinching second position with Chaz Davies in Race 1, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team collected another podium in front of its home fans at Misano thanks to Marco Melandri’s third place in Race 2. The Italian got off to a strong start from fourth position and stayed within the leading group, engaging a spectacular battle with his teammate Davies and then Rea. Towards the end, Melandri forced the pace to erase the gap despite low grip conditions, finishing just 0.595 seconds behind the winner.
Chaz Davies also rode a spectacular race, and finished less than two seconds away from the podium, in fourth position. Starting from third row, the Welshman pushed hard since the very beginning to climb the rankings and immediately entered the top five. Some problems under acceleration, however, prevented him from taking another podium.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi came back from last row on the grid to finish in eleventh position overall, first among Independent riders. After nine rounds, Davies (278 points) and Melandri (193 points) are respectively second and fifth in the championship, while Rinaldi (59 points) is 14th. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team and the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team will resume action at Portimão (Portugal) on August 23-24 for two days of testing ahead of round 10, scheduled on the same track for September 14-16.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 3rd
“It’s been a super fun race. After a difficult and unlucky weekend so far, together with the team we finally found an ideal setup for the new front tire. Unfortunately, we couldn’t ride in FP3 and FP4 and this penalized us in Race 1, but today we redeemed ourselves. I felt comfortable on the bike, I could be aggressive and I fought a nice battle with Rea, even though it made us lose a bit of ground on VD Mark. Towards the end I wanted to attack but, after a couple of big risks, I realized we were too close to the limit. Anyhow, it’s nice to go on holiday with a podium and I’m confident we’ll soon win again.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 4th
“Today I felt we had the potential to be in the mix and it was a good battle early on, but after five or six laps we unexpectedly started to struggle with rear traction. I’m a little bit disappointed, because we made some changes after Race 1 but we didn’t go the right way. That said, overall it’s been a really good, solid weekend, much better than last year, so I can’t complain. In the last couple of races we’ve been consistent and uncovered a few important details. Going into the summer break just missing the podium will put a little extra fire in the belly ahead of the last four rounds.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team #21) – 11th
“After a tough start, we finally regained confidence during WUP today. It’s never easy to climb back from last row, but we can say we partially redeemed ourselves. Usually we can ride well within the top 10 but, at this level, a small drop in performance costs many positions. Our pace wasn’t bad, but today’s result doesn’t reflect our potential. Now we need to wait a month before we test, and two before we race. I can’t wait to ride my bike again.”
Stefano Cecconi, Aruba CEO and Team Principal
“Today Marco bounced back with a strong race, which he could have ridden probably also yesterday if it weren’t for the issues encountered in FP4. We’re sorry for Chaz, who faced some more difficulties compared with Race 1 as he and the team tried to make the last step forward. We can’t be completely satisfied, but overall we’re happy with the results. Now a long break awaits, but first we’ll celebrate here in Misano with all our fans at World Ducati Week.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Van der Mark Challenges for Race 2 Victory at Misano
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team rider Michael van der Mark signed off from the first half of the season with a superb second-place finish in Race 2 in Misano on Sunday at Round 9 of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Alex Lowes bounced back from the disappointment of his first DNF of the year in Saturday’s Race 1 to claim vital championship points with sixth place on Sunday. Wild card rider Niccolò Canepa also added to his points tally from the weekend with a strong ride to 13th place in the 21-lap race.
Again the riders faced hot and humid conditions for Sunday’s encounter, with the track temperature rising to 45 degrees Centigrade ahead of the race. Van der Mark started from pole position after finishing in fourth place during Saturday’s Race 1, while Lowes started from the fourth row of the grid as a result of his crash in Race 1. Canepa started from two rows further back in 16th position
Van der Mark lost out in the run to the first corner to Xavi Fores, but took the race lead on lap three after the Spaniard suffered a technical problem. The 25-year-old Dutch rider increased his pace and managed to pull out a gap as the pursuing pack battled for position behind him, but was then chased and eventually caught by reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea. A fierce fight for the victory ensued but with two laps to go the Irishman made his move and forced his way through. Despite constant pressure to retake the lead, van der Mark was unable to make a final challenge and had to settle for second place at the line after a thrilling race. This result sees the 2014 WorldSSP Champion remain third in the overall championship standings with 248 points, 30 points behind second-placed Chaz Davies.
A lightning start on his R1 followed by some aggressive overtaking on the first lap saw Alex Lowes make his way rapidly into the top six. While the 27-year-old British rider was able to more closely match the pace of his rivals today, he was missing the feeling with the bike needed to push forward into contention for a podium finish. Rather than risk all Lowes rode an intelligent race to maintain sixth place and to pick up vital championship points. The 2013 British Superbike Champion currently lies equal fifth in the standings with 193 points , the same number as today’s third placed finisher Marco Melandri.
Nico Canepa signed off his second wild card appearance with the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team with another point scoring finish in Misano today, bringing his R1 home in a creditable 13th position and contributing more race-acquired data to Yamaha’s development program.
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 2nd +0.334s
“My start wasn’t that great so I followed Xavi Fores for a couple of laps, but I think he had a problem and I passed him. Once at the front I tried to do my own pace and find my own rhythm. I thought I would be a bit faster, but in the hot temperatures it was difficult. I saw that the three riders behind were involved in a big fight, so I just tried to stay as consistent as possible. I managed to pull a bit of a gap but then lap-by-lap Johnny Rea was getting closer and he eventually passed me when I made a small mistake. I could follow him and stay close for the last two laps, but I didn’t quite have enough to overtake him. A bit disappointed to miss out on the win but second is really good for the championship and a nice way to go into the summer break.”
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 6th +6.559s
“The weekend started really well on Friday, but then I had a really tough day yesterday so to bounce back to come from 12th to sixth was good. I still didn’t feel too comfortable in the race; I had a really good start and first few laps and I expected to be able to challenge a little bit more but it didn’t quite happen today. I’ll take the points and learn what I can from the weekend, even from yesterday because there’s something to be learnt from that too. It was nice to see another podium for Michael at another track with the Yamaha; we’re there every weekend now. We didn’t quite get the best from the weekend but I’m happy to pick up points today.”
Niccolò Canepa
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 13th +33.758
“The weekend is finished and I am quite satisfied about the two races. We had a few problems in Race 1 and a few problems in Race 2, so we weren’t so lucky. We improved from Donington and we continue working hard to make more improvements and Michael’s podium today demonstrates that we are working in the right direction. I am happy with my weekend but now we will continue testing and I hope I will have the opportunity to race again in the future, as this would be amazing.”
Paul Denning
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK – Team Principal
“What a race! A fantastic performance by Michael from the front row of the grid and equally by his team to take a good step forward with the setting of his R1 in the heat of Misano. Michael didn’t put a wheel wrong for 21 laps and at one stage was able to pull a gap on the chasing pack before fighting valiantly under pressure from Johnny Rea. After Rea had made the pass with two laps to go what was equally impressive was that Michael was looking forward to try and retake the lead rather than trying to defend against Marco Melandri. Congratulations to him and all involved. After the disappointment of the DNF here last year, a nice way to go into the summer break.
Despite showing superb pace and consistency on Friday, Saturday didn’t work out for Alex and today was always going to be about maximising potential from the fourth row after a difficult Race 1. He made a superb start then made some great passes in the early laps to force his way into contention for the top six, but today wasn’t quite Alex’s day in terms of having the feeling he needed to force further forward and challenge for the podium. When you’re in that position you need to stay focussed and get the best result you possibly can. After winning in Brno and being on the podium in Laguna, today showed great maturity to accept the limits and bring the bike home in a very strong points scoring position and only a few seconds off the winner.
Thanks to Nico for all his efforts this weekend. He’s a quality rider and, from our point of view, an exceptional test rider and it always helps the development when a rider is able to fight with other bikes and push the limits in the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Milwaukee Aprilia:
Podium and points for Milwaukee Aprilia in Round 9 at Misano
Milwaukee Aprilia delivered an excellent performance at the Misano World Circuit this weekend, securing a strong third and eighth on Saturday followed by seventh and eighth on Sunday
Following a strong run in Superpole Eugene delivered his best qualifying of 2018 and lined up P3 on the grid with a lap of 1’34.281. Lorenzo’s pace was not for from his teammate and qualified close behind in P5 with a 1’34.400.
At the Race 1 start Eugene made a quick getaway. He held off a challenge from Davies into turn 3, holding third and chasing down Rea and Sykes ahead. Lapping on the leaders’ pace, Eugene passed Sykes for second when the latter’s pace dropped off. Eugene struggled with an issue on his bike’s rear potentiometer late in the race, and went wide at the final corner to open the door for Davies to pass. Despite his set back he closed Davies down to reduce the gap from 1.7 to finish just 0.9 at the finish, and brought his Aprilia home a strong P3 and securing the team’s first back-to-back podium run in WorldSBK.
Lorenzo had a more difficult race, losing ground at the start. His pace initially looked strong before his rear tyre began to degrade, forcing him to dig deep to continue his momentum. At the middle distance he and other riders struggled with rising track and tyre temperatures, and he eventually came home P8.
For Race 2 Lorenzo lined up P5 on the second row, while Eugene moved back to start P7 on the third row. At the start of the race both riders lost ground to the competition, Lorenzo gaining the upper hand on his teammate with a strong launch. From there they ran nose to tail, Eugene trailing Lorenzo by less than 0.3s in the early stages. They closed in on Lowes ahead in P6, and gained a position along with the rest of the field when Fores retired from the lead. Lorenzo began to eke out an advantage on Eugene, creating a gap of over 1 second in the middle stages of the race. He held onto his advantage and led home Eugene for a P7-P8 double points finish.
Following their debut on the podium in Laguna Seca the team can be happy with the recent progress they have made and carry the momentum into the final four races of 2018.
WorldSBK now heads into its summer break, returning to racing action at the Portimao circuit in Portugal on the 14th-16th September.
Shaun Muir – Team Principal
“Saturday was a fantastic day for the team building on the success of the Laguna podium. I felt we strongly deserved a second place with Eugene, he had an issue with the rear potentiometer which affected his anti wheelie and he had a battle on his hands to keep the front wheel down. He entered the last turn in third gear instead of second which ran him wide and Davies got through, but he stuck in there and ground him down from a 1.7 gap to 0.9 at the line so it just shows we are in the right area now.
Lorenzo had a great Superpole and put it on the second row, but didn’t have the rear tyre at the end to keep up with the front guys. A few other riders had a similar issue, it was a very hot with 50 degrees track temperature playing an issue.
We tried some new things on Eugene’s bike in Sunday warm up but they didn’t work, so we reverted to yesterday’s Race 1 settings. In Race 2 today he got tangled up with Lorenzo and Lowes on lap 1 which set him back a little bit. Right form the start he had trouble with rear grip he was spinning the tyre and not moving forward .That was the story of his race unfortunately and it was all he could do to bring it home P8.
Lorenzo again struggled with front grip and a full fuel load at the start of Race 2, which meant he couldn’t push. He had to settle into a rhythm unable to put a move on Lowes. Ultimately it was quite a lonely race for them both but we have to be happy with the weekend.
We now head into the summer with a test at Portimao next month which should put us in a good position for a circuit we went well at last year, and we’re looking forward to racing there again in September.”
Eugene Laverty #50 – Aprilia RSV4-RF
Superpole 2 result: 1’34.281 – P3 on grid
Race 1 result: P3 – 16 points
Race 2 grid: P7 – Row 3
Race 2 result: P8 – 8 points
“Superpole was a big surprise, I wasn’t expecting to end up on the first row. The pace has been good over race distance but qualifying isn’t usually our strongest area, and that helped me in the race.
I made a good start from P3 and held off a move from Chaz [Davies]. I managed to pass Sykes after he made a mistake and hold P2, and then Davies was close behind. There was a gap and I thought I could hold onto second, but then there was a sensor failure and I lost some rear grip which made the bike really difficult. It was bitter sweet to get third when I knew second was possible of course but I’m happy with the result for the team.
Race 2 was very strange for me. Compared with yesterday I just had no rear grip from the start, it felt like the rear was cold and just wouldn’t stop spinning. I tried to adapt my riding and find grip when the bike was upright like I normally would but it didn’t happen.
We’ve done a fantastic job overall this weekend to progress the way we have. FP1 wasn’t great but we changed and adapted the bike, and we were nearly set for second yesterday. It was a hell of a performance to back Laguna up with, it was just unfortunate we couldn’t get that extra place heading into the summer.
At the Portimao test we’ll be working on making the bike stop better, that’s the main area we struggle with when battling with other riders. Aprilia have some ideas to try and now that we’ve got the bike in a good place it’s a great opportunity to progress and put ourselves in a good position for the end of the season.
Lorenzo Savadori #32 – Aprilia RSV4-RF
Superpole 2 result: 1’34.400 – P5 on grid
Race 1 result: P8 – 8 points
Race 2 grid: P5 – Row 2
Race 2 result: P7 – 9 points
“For the qualifying I was a little disappointed, I think we were able to get pole. I’m not sure why I couldn’t feel the extra grip with the qualifying tyre, but fifth was a good result.
In Race 1 I dropped too much time from the lead group at the start. In the middle of the race I was losing more time and I really had to push hard, and then I was losing places. P8 was not so bad but we could have had better, and it gave me a better position for Race 2.
The first part of Race 2 was difficult, and it’s still an area I have problems with. The front tyre and fuel load made the bike hard to ride and I wasn’t able to push. I lost too much time to the guys ahead really, my pace in the middle was not so bad and I got close to Lowes near the end, but I was too far to catch up. If we can improve this area then for sure it will help me a lot to fight.
The Portimao test will be very useful, and I hope to resolve my race start problems. The summer is long but I know the team will work very hard to make us fast, and I want to thank them for all of their hard work.”
More, from a press release issued by Triple M Honda World Superbike Team:
Hard work but no reward for Triple M Honda at Misano
Riviera di Rimini Round
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Italy
The Triple M Honda World Superbike team arrived at the favourite circuit of PJ Jacobsen – and a home circuit for some of the team staff – ready to record two strong results with their CBR1000RR. The rookie team in WorldSBK found this weekend a particularly tough one, with no championship points to add to PJ’s current total.
Jacobsen had been 17th in Superpole 1 on Saturday, shortly before race one began at 13.00 local time in Italy. He rode most of his first Misano Superbike race in 16th place but could not achieve the pace or finishing position both he and his team had hoped for.
Morning warm-up on Sunday saw PJ 17th, but in the second 21-lap race of the weekend he felt his bike misfire and, out of the points scoring positions at that time, he came back into the pits to retire.
Jacobsen remains 19th in the championship rankings, with 21 points, and has a personal best of tenth, which he achieved at Buriram in the second round.
A very long summer break will be punctuated for PJ with a ride at the Suzuka 8-Hour race, and then a test at Portimao before the next round of the championship takes place at the Portuguese venue. Round ten of WorldSBK 2018 will be held between the 14th and 16th of September.
PJ Jacobsen 99
I thought that coming here to Misano, and it being my favourite track, it would be a more positive weekend. Now we have a long summer break and the Suzuka 8-Hour race. Then we have a test at Portimao before the last four race weekends. I need to make a big change at the Portimao test and then I will be happy. Things were just not working today but I am positive and we will look ahead to the next race.
Manuel Cappelletti
Team Manager
This weekend was a challenge for us, PJ never found the rhythm, for many reasons. The pace was good this morning in the warm up, so we expected a better performance in the race, which was not there. He said that the bike was misfiring in race 2 so now we are checking things. For sure this is not the position that we deserve, or where we must be. Testing in Portimao will be important for us, so we can work on the bikes before then and find out what we can do to get back to where we were at the start of the season. The performance does not reflect what it is possible to do with this bike.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
#RiminiWorldSBK Day 3 – Rea wins breathtaking Misano Race 2
Battle goes down to the wire before SBK® signs off for the summer
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has taken his second win of the weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli after a scorcher of a race around the Rimini track. Race two in the Pirelli Riviera Di Rimini Round provided a 21 lap thriller, with countless overtakes and the battle going down to the wire under the sunny skies. With all riders being forced to dig deep to hold their position to the line, it was Rea who came out on top, beating Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) with three laps to go.
Just one race away from a two month summer break and everyone eager to impress, the opening laps provided edge of your seat racing, which never stopped. Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) made a blistering run at the lights, flying into first place, but a technical issue ended the Spaniard’s race just two laps later. Meanwhile, Rea jumped straight up to fifth, but was then caught up with Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on the second lap.
With van der Mark making the most of the open track ahead, Rea was left to fight through, with both factory Ducati bikes in his sights. Rea’s duel with Davies saw the defending champion coming out in front after an ambitious move through Turn 14. Then, with both Rea and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finding their way past Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), the pair engaged in an electric battle all through laps seven and eight, trading places several times for second.
Ultimately, Rea prevailed again, and began his hunt of the race leader, now over a second ahead and twelve laps around Misano to go. The Kawasaki rider finally caught van der Mark with five laps to go – and so did Melandri, hanging on to the ZX-10RR’s pace. The trio went into the closing laps with less than half a second separating them. With the Ducati suddenly breathing down both their necks, Rea chose to make his move with three laps to go. A feint down Turn 1, a stunning pass down the inside through 2, and making it stick on the exit from the Variante del Parco: Rea first, and perhaps his hardest win of the season secured.
While he couldn’t fight back in the remaining turns, van der Mark had just enough left in the tank to defend his position from Melandri, taking second place at the flag and guaranteeing a fourth consecutive weekend with a Yamaha bike on the podium. Melandri couldn’t repeat his phenomenal win from last season’s Race Two, but a return to the rostrum in third will have left both the Ducati rider and the home fans ecstatic after a few difficult races.
Davies finally crossed the line in fourth, not quite able to consistently match the front pace. A difficult end after a promising start for the Welshman, who now enters the summer break 89 points behind Rea. He finished ahead of Sykes in fifth.
After a race to forget yesterday, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) bounced back brilliantly in sixth despite having to start from the back of row 4. He endured a late charge from Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) in seventh, who managed to beat his teammate Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) this time around, with the Irish rider finishing eighth.
Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) came back from his early crash in yesterday’s event with a ninth position, with Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) closing the top ten. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team) was the best independent rider in Rimini, taking eleventh.
SBK® is back in two months’ time, with Round 10 of the championship kicking off in Portimao!
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
“I was really hard work, I gave 200% – as much as I could! It was really difficult coming through traffic, the bikes were very evenly matched – the Kawasaki, Yamaha and Ducati – so you had to be aggressive to stick a pass. But also I woke up this morning with a stiff neck, I spent a lot of time with my physio and clinca, I want to thank the guys who spent time to give me some sort of mobility in my neck. But most of all, all race I was thinking about William Dunlop, I want to dedicate this race to him, and all my thoughts are with all his family because I can’t imagine what they’re going through.”
P2 – Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
“I had a bad start, followed Xavi for a couple of laps but I think he had a problem and I passed him. I tried to do my own pace and I felt better than yesterday in some areas, in others I didn’t feel as good. I struggled to keep the pace a little bit and to keep it consistent, I manage to pull a gap when Jonny and Marco were fighting. In the end Jonny came close and I tried to be as smooth as possible. In the last two laps I could stay right behind him but I’m really happy with the second place today, and really happy with the points for the championship.”
P3 – Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It was a very difficult weekend, we had a lot of problems with the weather on Friday so we missed one session. And with the front tyre in race one we struggled a lot, and luckily we got a lot of information for today and the team worked hard, so the result was much better. The podium is the best result we could get, I tried to overtake van der Mark but I was pushing too hard on the front tyre so it was difficult, we tried to give a good show to the people.”