Motul FIM Superbike World Championship

Motorland Aragon, Spain

April 7, 2019

Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Duc Panigale V4 R), 18 laps, Total Race Time 33:16.448, Best Lap Time 1:49.958

2. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -6.867 seconds, 1:50.624

3. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), -7.127, 1:50.876

4. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -7.581, 1:50.619

5. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -11.549, 1:51.012

6. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Duc Panigale V4 R), -16.797, 1:50.721

7. Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -17.825, 1:51.297

8. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), -18.788, 1:51.101

9. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -19.329, 1:50.727

10. Sandro Cortese, Germany (Yam YZF-R1), -20.351, 1:51.196

11. Marco Melandri, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -23.546, 1:50.992

12. Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), -23.974, 1:51.212

13. Leon Camier, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -35.177, 1:51.795

14. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -61.477, ran off track, 1:52.290

15. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -99.168, ran off track, 1:51.393

16. Alessandro Delbianco, Italy (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -10 laps, DNF, retired, 1:53.137

17. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), -11 laps, DNF, retired, 1:51.293

18. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), DNS

World Championship Point Standings (after 9 of 39 races):

1. Bautista, 186 points

2. Rea, 147

3. Lowes, 100

4. Van Der Mark, 79

5. Haslam, 74

6. Melandri, 63

7. TIE, Davies/Cortese, 56

9. Sykes, 39

10. TIE, Torres/Rinaldi, 35

12. Razgatlioglu, 32

13. Laverty, 27

14. Camier, 17

15. Reiterberger, 15

16. Mercado, 11

17. Kiyonari, 9

18. Delbianco, 3

More, from a press release issued by WSBK Press Office:

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Rea Podiums Twice As Haslam Recovers Pace

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) took his eighth and ninth second place finishes of the 2019 season today, first in the 10-lap Tissot-Superpole race and then in the second full distance contest. His team-mate Leon Haslam recovered from a tough Saturday to record a seventh place in the sprint race and then fourth this afternoon, fighting for a podium all the way.

Rea and Haslam have two points scoring races to compete in on Sundays in 2019 and in each of the races today Rea rode to what he feels were his best possible results – two runner-up places.

In every race of the year so far Rea has finished second but in the final race at Motorland he really had to work for it, using all of his race craft and experience to make the most of a late opportunity to ensure his second place. Windy conditions did not help Rea’s cause but he demonstrated why he is a four time World Champion by taking three second places away from the Spanish round.

Haslam and his team were fully competitive for a podium finish in the final race of the weekend, pushing up to second place at one time and finishing just 0.454 seconds off another podium finish for his KRT squad.

It was particularly satisfying result as it was a relatively tough weekend for Leon and his crew until the afternoon race, at a circuit which has not been one most favoured by Haslam in the past.

In the championship rankings, after three rounds and nine individual races, Jonathan has netted a total of 147 points and is 39 behind points leader Alvaro Bautista. Haslam is fifth overall and just five points from fourth place.

The classic circuit of Assen, in the Netherlands, will host the fourth round of the championship next weekend, with track action running from the 12th to the 14th of April.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “It was a tougher Sunday than I expected and the strategy was different. Especially in the sprint race, I lost a lot of rear traction at the end. We think it was a consequence of being so fast in the beginning. During the 18-lap race I decided to be calmer in the beginning but when Alex Lowes came through he had a good pace with Chaz Davies. I started to panic a little bit that maybe these guys had an extra gear. And then Leon came past, so I had to step up and really use the tyre that I was conserving. My body language was a lot different at the end of the race because I really put my head down and maximised where we were strong. It looks like our bike is really creating a lot of traction in the long corners, which is positive. Our corner entry is not so bad. It was nice to see Leon in the front as well because our data becomes more relevant to compare and we can try to move the bike set-up forward together.”

Leon Haslam, stated: “Starting from the fourth row was not ideal in the first two races so we used the sprint race to get back into it. The team has done mega-well from really struggling on Saturday morning to being able to battle for second place for Johnny. What a turnaround. I am really happy about what we have done here and I feel quite positive. In the sprint race I did not get the best of starts but it got me a better grid position for the final race. We made some steps in being able to pass people in the last race as well.”

Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) ran out a remarkable eighth in the sprint race and an even better seventh in the final full distance contest today. He ended his home race weekend inside the championship top ten, with 35 points. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) was unfortunate to retire from the final race, having finished the sprint race today in tenth place. He sits 12th overall. Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) could not ride on Sunday after breaking his wrist yesterday.

More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:

Day of mixed emotions for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at MotorLand Aragón.

Fifth place again for Tom Sykes in the Sunday Superpole race.

Sykes crosses the line in 12th position in the main race.

Team-mate Markus Reiterberger finishes 15th in Sunday’s race.

Alcañiz. Sunday’s FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) races resulted in mixed emotions for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at MotorLand Aragón (ESP). In the Superpole race, Tom Sykes (GBR) once again rode his new BMW S 1000 RR to fifth place. However, he had to be content with 12th position in the second main race on Sunday afternoon. Team-mate Markus Reiterberger retired from the Superpole race due to a technical issue and crossed the line 15th in the afternoon’s race.

It was a successful start to Sunday, with Sykes claiming second place in warm-up and Reiterberger in fifth. In the following Superpole race, Sykes repeated his performance from Saturday’s race one to claim a top-five place. Reiterberger was forced to retire with an issue with the primary gear. Sykes was in fifth place with his RR on the starting grid for race two, while Reiterberger began the race from 11th position. Sykes was able to defend his position before taking a wide line through one turn and slipping back a few places. The British rider lost more ground towards the mid-point of the race before crossing the line in 12th place. Reiterberger also had a difficult time, finishing in 15th place.

The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team now moves to Assen in the Netherlands, where the fourth round of the 2019 WorldSBK season takes place this coming weekend (12th to 14th April).

Quotes after race two at MotorLand Aragón.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Overall, we feel that we had a very good weekend that unfortunately ended in a disappointing way. We are pleased, but of course it’s a shame that we had such a tough final race after the good results in the first main race, and in the Superpole race. Both riders told us that the tyres had very little grip, but that alone cannot be the reason. Markus had a few problems with the electronics in the second race. We would have liked to have carried the positive feelings into the next race, but we will just try and forget about it and pick up where we left off in the Superpole Race.”

Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “We had a very good Superpole yesterday which set us up for the weekend. We obviously then started today’s Superpole race in a good situation. Tom fought really well; Markus had a technical issue which sadly put him out and had to start from 11th in today’s main race. But Tom had a strong Superpole Race; he battled through. We can obviously see where the deficiencies are with the bike but I think overall it has been a promising weekend and we’ve made some good steps forward. Clearly, the main race was difficult for us to watch. Markus again had a technical issue and Tom was really struggling with grip. Once he was in a group of riders, he was clearly faster in the corners but slower on the straights and he was always in a difficult situation. It was a long race for him and one by one he got picked of. Eventually he brought the bike home with points. Not where we wanted to be but two strong races out of three has not been too bad this weekend.”

Tom Sykes: “Honestly, it has been a very positive weekend for the entire BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. I honestly feel that we have again made some steps forward. I am very impressed and also there have been a lot of people inside the racing paddock who have commented on the potential of the BMW S 1000 RR, so I think we are heading in the right direction and are definitely making good progress. Again – to repeat myself – considering the limited amount of track time we have had, I think it’s even more impressive than our expectation. Everything was good, we were top five in most of the sessions, we almost – with the exception of my mistake in Superpole – almost showed an incredible potential speed. And then in the final race, it’s not a big problem, just if I am being blunt, we did not have the correct rear traction, which is a shame because the bike did not change and on the same tyre I was so fast during the race weekend. So with my honest opinion and with my experience I certainly feel we perhaps did not have a tyre that was to its full potential. It made my race very difficult and longer than anticipated and it’s a shame as our speed was certainly good enough to be inside the top five or top four again. So it was a bit of a disappointment on a great weekend but this is part of racing. Sometimes these things happen and we will be making up for this moving forward.”

Markus Reiterberger: “After my fall yesterday, I was not sure how I would feel, but I was back to normal this morning and the medical check gave me the green light. I felt great during warm-up and I managed to produce eight to ten really fast laps. That meant that I was ready for the race. We changed the ratio a bit for the Superpole race as the wind was so strong, so we were expecting some slipstream duels. It didn’t feel so bad during the early laps, however, I suddenly got a warning in the cockpit and also heard some noises and had to park up the bike. That was annoying, as it meant starting the second race from 11th place. I made a normal start but once again it was another rider who knocked my handlebar – this time it was Michael van der Mark. I was just about able to stop myself from falling again. I recovered from that but then I had two massive highsiders that I was just about able to deal with. Something was not quite right and I think, but am not sure, that it could have been a problem with the tyres. In any case, it proved impossible to ride it out and I just wanted to get over the line for the points. Now we will analyse what the problem was, carry on working and start afresh at Assen.”

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

Leon Camier and Ryuichi Kiyonari complete Race 2 at Aragón in 13th and 14th place

Leon Camier and Ryuichi Kiyonari both concluded their Spanish weekend today at Aragón inside the points zone, finishing in 13th and 14th place respectively in Race 2.

The same can’t be said for the day’s earlier Superpole race where they finished in slightly better positions, 12th and 13th, but outside the points zone.

It has been a challenging weekend for the Moriwaki Althea Honda Team riders who struggled to find the best set-up for their bikes over the weekend. At the same time they have gained more experience on board their machines, collating a lot of important information for the technicians to work on to try and improve performance in the coming races.

The Moriwaki Althea Honda Team will now head north to the Netherlands where Round 4 of the WorldSBK Championship will take place next weekend at the historic circuit of Assen.

LEON CAMIER

SUPERPOLE RACE: 12TH – RACE2: 13TH

“Today our pace and lap times were better than yesterday actually, but the other riders generally improved a bit more than us and so we couldn’t really fight against them as we were hoping to. Anyway, considering that we need to make a step forward in all areas of the bike, it is important that my injury has turned out to be less serious than expected and did not prevent me from being here this weekend or completing all the races. We collected a lot of crucial information and I hope that this will help us to achieve a better set-up and better results fairly soon”.

RYUICHI KIYONARI

SUPERPOLE RACE: 13TH – RACE2: 14TH

“I’m aware that today’s results don’t really show it, but we actually made an improvement on yesterday as far as the bike set-up is concerned. I felt better on my bike in the Superpole Race, and I was able to make some consistent laps. So we further changed the settings for Race 2 but it ultimately didn’t work out. We know now that this was a mistake but we are making a great effort to improve and I think it’s always worth a try. We have another race weekend coming straight up and we’ll keep giving it our best.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Lowes Sprints to Superpole Race Podium in Aragon

Alex Lowes claimed his fourth podium finish of the 2019 season in Aragon today, finishing third in the Superpole Race after a titanic three-way battle with reigning champion Jonathan Rea and Chaz Davies that went down to the wire. Michael van der Mark was the innocent victim in Michael Rinaldi’s turn one crash at the start of today’s sprint race but remounted to finish 15th. GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Sandro Cortese, claimed his seventh eighth successive top ten finish of the season with ninth place in the Superpole Race, while Marco Melandri again struggled with set-up issues, eventually finishing the 10-lap sprint in 11th position.

Lowes looked set to repeat the success of the Superpole Race in Race 2 this afternoon. However, after battling for second place throughout with Rea, Davies and Leon Haslam, the Pata Yamaha rider was forced to drop back as rear grip again dropped off with just three laps to go, eventually finishing fifth. His Aragon results mean that Lowes has consolidated his position in the championship standings, in which he currently lies third with 100 points after three rounds.

Van der Mark’s Race 2 was hampered by having to start from the fourth row of the grid, following the incident with Michael Rinaldi at turn one in the Superpole Race. The 26-year-old Dutch rider lined up at the start confident he could fight his way through the field and into the battle for the podium, as he did in Race 1 yesterday, but this time his progress was slowed by front-end chatter. Van der Mark was left with little option but to ride around the problem and pick up valuable points with eighth place at the finish. Van der Mark remains fourth in the series standings with 79 points, five more than fifth-placed Leon Haslam.

Cortese continued his run of form in this afternoon’s 18-lap Race 2, fighting his way through from the third row of the grid to claim tenth place at the finish. The WorldSBK rookie was happy to have maintained his record of finishing every race inside the top ten but felt that a top six finish was a realistic possibility today, had he not been held up by traffic in the early stages of the race. The GRT Yamaha rider is currently eighth in the championship standings with 39 points.

Melandri endured another difficult day in Aragon. The GRT Yamaha rider was baulked by Rinaldi’s crash in this morning’s sprint race and was then handicapped by his starting position and the same issues that he’s experienced throughout the weekend. Despite the problems, Melandri managed to finish in 11th place, but drops to sixth in the championship standing with 63 points. The Italian is, however, still leading the Independent Rider Championship from his GRT Yamaha teammate, Cortese.

Alex Lowes

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – Championship Position 3rd – 100 Points

“After the podium in the sprint race this morning I was a little bit disappointed with fifth in Race 2, as I was expecting to be able to fight a little bit harder and longer with Jonathan and Chaz. It was nice to be battling with Leon again, after a couple of tough races for him, and we were nice and close a few times, especially into turn one! It was good fun, but I just didn’t have enough to stay in the battle until the end. The last two rounds have been strong ones for us and I’ve really enjoyed riding the R1, but now we just need to find small improvements so that we can fight it out over the last few laps of the race. Now I can’t wait to get to Assen, a track I and the Yamaha enjoy.”

Michael van der Mark

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – Championship Position 4th – 79 Points

“I was really unlucky in the Superpole race. Rinaldi crashed right in front of me, there was no way to avoid him and down I went too. So we knew Race 2 was going to be difficult starting from 12th on the grid, but yesterday I started 11th and had a reasonable result, so I was hoping for the same today. I got a good start again, but didn’t gain as many places as I expected, because I was struggling with the front of the bike from the beginning. It was weird because I actually felt really strong on the bike, except in just a few corners where the chatter made it difficult. It’s a shame because, if I had the same front feeling as I had yesterday, I think the result would have been a lot better. Overall it’s been a tough weekend, but we made some steps forward yesterday, which we can learn from to ensure we’re ready for Assen next weekend.”

Sandro Cortese

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – Championship Position 8th – 56 Points

“Overall this has been the best weekend we’ve had since stepping up to WorldSBK. Today was, let’s say, a little bit more difficult for us because we maybe went a little bit backwards, but yesterday was perfect; best independent rider, starting from the front row. Still, we had two top ten finishes today and we should be happy with that because we made always a step forward and didn’t crash all weekend. In Race 2 I had a bit of a problem overtaking Rinaldi, otherwise I think a top six finish was possible looking at my race pace. We know what we need to improve for Assen and, of course, with the results from the start of the season our expectations are now higher. I’m looking forward to Assen, as I think the track will suit the Yamaha.”

Marco Melandri

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – Championship Position 6th – 63 Points

“Even today was a very difficult day for me. We had some bad luck in the sprint race with the crash at the start and I had to start Race 2 from the fifth row of the grid, which was not easy, but the first four or five laps were not so bad. After that, suddenly, I had to brake so hard because I had no grip on the rear and then the front tyre dropped down and it was almost impossible to ride. I have had the same feeling and the same problem from the beginning of the weekend and that’s not been easy. So now we have to focus on some different setting solutions that should suit better my riding style.”

Andrea Dosoli

Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager

“Now we’re back in Europe we’ve been able to confirm that our development is in the right direction, as we can see the gap to the front has been reduced further, but we’ve also confirmed that Aragon is still a track at which we struggle somewhat, especially in the last few laps of the race. Alex did a fantastic job here; he has been fast all weekend and shown exactly the potential of the R1. He’s also shown just how much of a step forward he’s made in terms of his consistency, which is equally important. But it is clear that, from our side, we need to find an improvement with the R1 to allow him to fight for the podium right until the end of the race. Michael’s races this weekend were compromised by the issues on Friday, when it took too long for us to find a set- up he was comfortable with. We also need to improve in this area, speeding up the process of finding the proper set-up, not just for Michael but also for Marco, who had similar issues this weekend. Well done also to Sandro, who has continued his adaptation to the R1 and again finished three times inside the top ten here in Aragon. Overall the results this weekend have been a bit up and down. We’ve seen an improvement compared to where we were at this race last year but we’ve also identified areas on which we need to focus our development in order to improve still further.”

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

Ducati notches up 350 victories in the Superbike World Championship, as Álvaro Bautista takes another triple of wins at MotorLand Aragón. Chaz Davies steps onto the podium again with third place in Race 2

This weekend was a truly extraordinary and emotional one for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider Álvaro Bautista, who with nine wins in a row continues his unbeaten run in his debut season in the production-based series. In front of his home crowd, the 34-year-old from Talavera de la Reina left his rivals trailing as he dominated both the 10-lap Superpole Race and the 18-lap Race 2 in the afternoon, winning both by a wide margin. The win in Race 2 was the 350th for Ducati in World Superbike ever since the start of the championship back in 1988.

Team-mate Chaz Davies stepped onto the podium again today after disputing two gutsy and hard-fought races. After just missing out on third place in the morning’s Superpole Race, the 32-year-old from Wales scrapped with Rea and Haslam (Kawasaki) and Lowes (Yamaha) in the second race, and only a mistake at the start of the final lap denied him the chance of finishing second.

With nine wins to his name, Bautista remains firmly in control of the championship standings on 186 points, 39 more than Rea, while Davies is in seventh place on 56 points. The next World Superbike round will take place in a few days’ time on the Assen TT circuit, from 12 to 14 April.

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

“It has been an extraordinary weekend for me. Winning three races here in Spain in front of my family, my friends and the Spanish fans was really great. In all three, I was able to make my own strategy, that is get a fast start and maintain my own pace. For sure the conditions in the three races were different, especially today in the Superpole Race which took place in the morning when it was very cold. Luckily it got a bit warmer for Race 2, but you could really feel the wind. Despite this, I was able to stay focussed, understand the situation on the track and push hard all the way. In the end we have won nine races out of nine and I’m so happy about that. The team has done an incredible job, we are on the right path and I’d like to thank Aruba, all Ducati and my team because the congratulations should also go to them.”

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing Ducati #7) – 4th / 3rd

“It was a strong weekend for me, but I’m a bit disappointed about losing second place in Race 2. At the start of the last lap, I went in deep at Turn 1 and left the door open for Johnny, after which there wasn’t much chance of getting it back. At any rate, I was happy to back up yesterday’s result with another third position. It wasn’t easy in the wind, but we worked well this weekend to make big progress and I hope to build on that next weekend at Assen.”

Stefano Cecconi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team Principal)

“It was another perfect weekend for Álvaro, which makes us really happy, but we are just as satisfied by the fact that Chaz got back on the podium and that he is getting more and more accustomed to the new Panigale V4 R. We hope that he will continue this string of positive results in the next few races.”