WorldSBK Race Lap Record: 1:46.023, Jonathan Rea, 2019

WorldSBK Pole/Circuit Best Lap Record: 1:45.180, Chaz Davies, 2019

Motul FIM Superbike World Championship

Imola Circuit, Italy

May 12, 2019

Superpole Race Results (wet/drying conditions, all on Pirelli tires):

1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 10 laps, Total Race Time 17:45.405, Best Lap Time 1:45.896 

2. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), -2.141 seconds, 1:45.727 (New Lap Record)

3. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Duc Panigale V4 R), -6.864, 1:46.482

4. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), -10.817, 1:46.841

5. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -14.212, 1:47.280

6. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -14.522, 1:47.077

7. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), -20.484, 1:47.145

8. Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), -20.764, 1:47.276, started from pit lane

9. Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -20.957, 1:47.711

10. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -25.917, 1:47.860

11. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), -26.820, 1:48.133

12. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -31.698, 1:48.811

13. Sandro Cortese, Germany (Yam YZF-R1), -32.716, 1:48.262

14. Hector Barbera, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -34.097, 1:48.387

15. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -36.049, 1:48.043

16. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -36.371, 1:48.648

17. Marco Melandri, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -40.673, 1:48.824

18. Alessandro Delbianco, Italy (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -42.406, 1:49.470

19. Leon Camier, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), DNS

World Championship Point Standings (after 13 of 37 races):

1. Bautista, 263 points

2. Rea, 220

3. Lowes, 140

4. Van Der Mark, 134

5. Haslam, 108

6. Davies, 85

7. Melandri, 79

8. Razgatlioglu, 65

9. Cortese, 64

10. Sykes, 56

11. Torres, 55

12. Rinaldi, 44

13. Reiterberger, 41

14. Eugene Laverty, 32

15. Camier, 26

16. Kiyonari, 12

17. Leandro Mercado, 11

18. Zanetti, 7

19. TIE, Bridewell/Delbianco, 4

21. Barbera, 3

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

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Rea Doubles Up Before Rain Stops Play

Jonathan Rea added to his Saturday race win with another decisive victory in the ten-lap Tissot-Superpole race today. Leon Haslam battled hard once again and was sixth. Persistent heavy rain caused the cancellation of all further track action after the WorldSSP race had been completed, hence the scheduled final Imola WorldSBK race did not take place.

The Autodromo Nazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola provided another race winning chance for four times champion Rea, but only one opportunity, due to the decision to stop all further track action after the weather conditions turned.

Rea took his chance to win on Sunday in both hands and finished 2.141 seconds ahead of Chaz Davies. He led across the line every lap, as he had done on Saturday, and took his tally of WorldSBK race wins at Imola to nine.

After his breakthrough win on Saturday, Rea’s victory today also netted him more points and he reduced the previous advantage of championship leader Alvaro Bautista, who finished third in the Superpole race.

Haslam found some of the same issues today that he had under braking on Saturday, but worked hard to finish sixth and score more championship points.

In the championship standings Jonathan, in second place overall, has reduced the championship lead to 43 points. Leon is fifth and has a total of 108 points after five rounds.

The Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto in Spain will be the venue for the next round of the championship, between 7 and 9 June, but first there will be a two-day test at Misano, between 29 and 30 May.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “It was a really positive weekend, to get my feeling with the bike here and be able to really get the maximum out of it. To pick up two race wins makes me really happy. I want to thank all the team for always believing and keeping on pushing. We never stopped believing that this weekend was a perfect opportunity for the chance to win. With our form here in the past, the way our bike works here and the way I ride – it was our chance. So we had to take it and I did, in both races. That was positive but unfortunately race three was cancelled because of the weather which came in. I completely understand and I am sure we will get our chance again.”

Leon Haslam, stated: “I had exactly the same problem as in race one. I could not pass, could not follow the guys. When I had a gap I could go really fast. Compared to Jonathan we are losing under braking but on a positive note, in cornering, in the exits, and how I adapted my style in other areas, we made good steps. Jonathan is very good here and I knew it was going to be a tough weekend trying to adapt my style with the things I have struggled with, but it was a lot harder than I expected. We will take a fifth and a sixth.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) was again the top Independent team rider, scoring seventh place today in the ten-lap race. He is now eighth in the championship, mostly thanks to his Saturday race podium finish at Imola. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was 11th today, putting him in overall 11th place. Hector Barbera (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was 14th in the Superpole race, and is now 21st in the championship rankings after two rounds.

Top 10 finishes for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team as Race 2 is cancelled

12.05.19

Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari

Following Saturday’s Race 1 the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team prepared themselves for what looked to be a wet final day at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. As the bad weather rolled in for this morning’s Warm Up it would be the first time that the BMW S 1000 RR would be tested in wet conditions. Despite this the BMW S 1000 RR looked promising on track as Tom Sykes ended the session in P9, teammate Markus Reiterberger closely behind in P12.

The weather cleared up ahead of the Tissot Superpole Sprint race as Tom Sykes took his place on the grid in P6 and Reiterberger P7, however a small issue for #66 Sykes forced him off the grid meaning he unfortunately had to start from pit lane. As the race got underway Reiterberger dropped a place on lap 1 and found himself in a battle with the Spaniard Jordi Torres, meanwhile team mate Sykes forcing his way through field now up into P14 on lap 1. Sykes continued his fast pace throughout the following laps as he battled his way into tenth now hot on the tail of Markus Reiterberger and Jordi Torres, eventually passing them both with 2 laps to spare. The Final lap of the sprint race had Tom Sykes chasing Toprak Razgatlioglu taking 2 seconds off him in the final 2 sectors, however despite the late charge would end the race in P8, Reiterberger two places behind in P10.

Following the Superpole sprint race the team’s attention turned to the final race of the weekend but with the rain clouds closing in delays were imminent as the rain began flooding the track. After long delays the organisers made the decision to cancel the final race with the safety of the riders the being the priority.

The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team will now look ahead to Misano in just 2 weeks’ time as they prepare for two day’s testing ahead of Round 6 of WorldSBK at Jerez, Spain. (07-09 June)

Shaun Muir – Team Principal

“The summary of the day is that we proved again that the BMW S 1000 RR is getting very quick now. We have a good pace and I was looking forward to a dry race. In the Superpole Race Tom unfortunately had to start from pit lane. He did the sighting lap to the grid on race tyres. Due to the low temperatures, the tyre pressure slightly dropped below the limit. We will adapt the procedures to avoid this in the future. Tom’s race then was very positive. With his lap times he could have been battling for the fourth position which is a fantastic position to be in.

Markus went with a different tyre scenario. He was one of only four riders to opt for the SCX tyre. It was a gamble and he would have been very, very good if that would have worked out. But unfortunately he lost the tyre before the race was finished. But anyway, we are happy with the top ten for Markus. Overall we can say after this weekend that we are now showing that with its pace the bike can be fast now at many circuits. We can carry this forward and it’s also important that we will have a test in Misano before Jerez because we once again have many things to test.”

Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

“After this weekend, we can draw the positive conclusion that our racing pace is very good. However, yesterday’s technical problems and Tom being demoted today meant that we weren’t able to make the most of it. I understand the decision made by race control and the riders that it would have been too dangerous to start the race in the afternoon. Even though it would have been good for us to ride in the rain, as that would have helped us prepare for the future. Overall, we take a positive attitude from Imola as we head to the next race.”

Tom Sykes (GBR)

“We just had a little bit of bad luck. The tyre pressure was finally correct but on the grid it was a little bit low because I made a slow lap to the grid. The chassis of the BMW S 1000 RR was working very well. I made obviously a lot of passes in ten laps. Sure, I’m a bit disappointed but we’re making progress all the time, the team works very hard and I am sure we will have some good fortunes soon. For now it has been a strange day, another race cancelled due to safety conditions, and now we are moving on to the next race where I hope the package can also be competitive. So keep working and hoping we will get the result we’re all working forward very soon.”

Markus Reiterberger (GER)

“This morning’s warm-up was the first time that we had raced in the rain with the new RR. I had a pretty good feeling. The conditions were changeable for the Superpole race. It was mainly dry, with some wet spots and we took the risk to opt for the Supersoft tyre. Unfortunately, tyre wear was quite heavy towards the end but I managed to cross the line in tenth place. We had to wait a long time to find out whether we would have a second race or not. It would have been important for us to gain some experience in the rain but the decision to cancel made sense from the point of view of rider safety, as it was really at the limit. Overall, we learned a lot in Imola and we will check out a lot of things during testing to help us continue to make progress. Thanks to the team for their hard work. We will all work hard together to reap the benefits of this work.”

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Solid Sprint Race for Van Der Mark and Lowes as Rain Stops Play in Imola

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK riders, Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes, both showed improved pace in today’s Superpole Sprint Race in Imola, which they finished in fourth and fifth places respectively. It proved a more difficult outing for the two GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK riders, however. Sandro Cortese capped off what has been his toughest WorldSBK weekend to date with a 13th place finish, while Marco Melandri opted for the wrong set-up and finished the 10-lap race in 17th position. Torrential rain at the Imola circuit forced the cancellation of WorldSBK Race 2 on safety grounds.

Changes to the set-up of his R1 paid dividends for van der Mark in the sprint race, with the Pata Yamaha rider able to maintain a faster pace compared to yesterday. After a brief battle in the early stages, Van der Mark managed to pull away from the riders contesting fifth place, including Toprak Razgatlioglu, who’d denied the Pata Yamaha rider a podium finish yesterday. By the time he’d hit the front of the group, however, the gap to Alvaro Bautista and the last step of the podium was too big to bridge in the limited laps available and van der Mark had to settle for fourth at the line.

Although still suffering with the stomach bug that has caused him so many issues this weekend, it was a much stronger Lowes that lined up for the sprint race this morning. The Pata Yamaha rider was embroiled in the battle for fifth position from the start, eventually fighting his way to the front of the group and then pulling a gap on his pursuers. While disappointed not to have broken clear with his teammate earlier, Lowes was happy to add more points to his championship tally with a solid fifth place, after what has been a difficult weekend for the Briton.

The Imola weekend is one that Cortese will be happy to put behind him. The reigning Supersport World Champion struggled to find a good feeling with the bike and the track all weekend, which culminated in a 13th place finish in the Superpole sprint race this morning. Always upbeat in the face of adversity, Cortese is already looking forward to the next race in Jerez, a track he knows very well indeed.

Melandri was one of quite a few riders caught out by the changeable weather conditions ahead of the sprint race today. The GRT Yamaha rider opted to run a wet set-up on his R1, which left him at a distinct disadvantage when conditions for the 10-lap race remained dry. Combined with some unconnected issues in the race, it left the veteran Italian to finish in an uncharacteristic 17th position.

All four Yamaha riders will complete a two-day test in Misano ahead of the next round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, which takes place in Jerez over the weekend of 7 – 9 June.

Michael van der Mark

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P4 – Championship Position P4 – 134 Points

“We changed quite a lot on the bike for the Superpole Race and I immediately felt that the bike was better, especially in the areas we identified for improvement after Race 1 yesterday. This gave me a lot of confidence and my pace was a lot quicker compared to yesterday. I got a good start and had a little battle in the beginning, but that meant I just lost contact with Alvaro, who managed to pull a gap that I didn’t have time to close. But I had a good lead over the guys behind me and, while it wasn’t the most exciting race I’ve ever had, I was really happy with the feeling of the bike and my pace in the race. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to take advantage of the improvements in Race 2 this afternoon, as it was cancelled due to the weather. It’s a shame because we wanted to race and everyone who’d braved the weather to be here wanted to see us race, but with so much standing water on the track it just wasn’t safe.”

Alex Lowes

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P5 – Championship Position P3 – 140 Points

“The bike felt great in the Superpole race. I had a good battle with the Leon and Toprak in the early stages of the race, before pulling a bit of a gap on them. My best laps were near the end of the race and I felt that, maybe, if I’d have got clear sooner then I might have been able to have a good battle with Michael. But for us to finish fourth and fifth on what has previously been a tough track for us shows just how much we’ve improved. It gives me a lot of confidence going forward, now that we’ve been so competitive at what was probably our worst track last year. I’m really happy with the weekend; I’ve been up against it a bit with the sickness, but I’m quite proud of myself for how I’ve dealt with it and come out of it with some decent points. A big thank you to all the fans that turned out over the weekend, but especially today. Luckily, they got to see the Superpole race and then a thrilling Supersport race, but it was a shame they missed out on Race 2 because of the weather conditions. We had a lot of rain in a short space of time and there was a lot of standing water on track. This circuit has a couple of third and fourth gear kinks, which are really fast, and that’s exactly where the standing water was collecting. On a bike, surrounded by other riders at those speeds, it simply wasn’t safe enough to race this afternoon, unfortunately.”

Sandro Cortese

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P13 – Championship Position P9 – 64 Points

“Overall this was my toughest weekend in WorldSBK. From the start we didn’t find the correct set-up and then there were the crashes, one on oil, one due to a technical problem and then, in Race 1, because of a mistake. But that’s racing; sometimes when you have hard days then they are really hard and, anyway, I’d prefer to have all the problems in one race so that we can put them behind us and look forward to the test in Misano and the next race in Jerez, a track I like and one that I know very well. Imola, on the other hand, has proved a very difficult track. The rain meant it was impossible to race today, which is a real shame. I feel sorry for the fans, stood in the rain all day waiting for a race that was eventually cancelled but, while we all wanted to race, the decision was made on safety grounds and I think that was the right way to go.”

Marco Melandri

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P17 – Championship Position P7 – 79 Points

“I was really disappointed with the Superpole race this morning. We thought it was going to be wet, so we went with different settings in the bike, but when it turned out to be dry we didn’t have time to switch back to a dry set-up. Also, we had some other issues because of the confusion and, in the opening laps, I thought there was a problem with the bike and I wasn’t pushing. When I started to push a bit more, I started to struggle a lot, much worse than yesterday. I think if we were at a different track then we could have raced today despite the rain. The grip in the wet at Imola was quite okay but the problem here is the layout of the track and the proximity of the walls. With the poor visibility today, it was too dangerous to race. I’m a bit disappointed because the two sighting laps I did on the way to the grid felt okay, but it was not the right choice to race today. Sorry to the fans who braved the weather to be here today, but safety is important.”

Andrea Dosoli

Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager

“it’s been a weekend of mixed fortunes for the two Yamaha teams here in Imola. Michael and Alex have had a solid weekend at a track that, in the past, has not been overly kind to us. Michael was unlucky to miss out on a podium finish in Race 1 yesterday but, as his pace in the Superpole race this morning showed, the podium was a realistic target had Race 2 gone ahead this afternoon. It’s been a difficult weekend for Alex, as he’s had quite a debilitating illness to deal with, but I have to commend him on his resilience and the fact that he still managed two strong results despite his physical condition. What Michael and Alex’s results in Imola have illustrated quite clearly is the step forward we’ve taken with improving the consistency of the R1, to the point where we are now competitive even at tracks where we’ve struggled in the past. For Sandro and Marco, it’s been a difficult weekend here in Imola, for different reasons. Sandro lost a lot of track time as a result of the crash on Friday and, as a result, he never really found a good feeling with the bike or the track. Marco, on the other hand, is still struggling with the same issues he’s had since Thailand, which means he hasn’t been able to realise his full potential. However, we are confident that we can resolve these issues during two days of testing in Misano later this month and that Marco will be back where he should be next time out in Jerez.”

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

Double podium in the Superpole Race at Imola for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team with Chaz Davies and Álvaro Bautista second and third: Race 2 cancelled due to the bad weather

The fifth round of the Superbike World Championship, held at the Imola circuit this weekend, was hit by bad weather this afternoon, which led to the cancellation of all track activities. After the rain began to fall more intensely, Race Direction decided to send the riders out for a lap in the Safety Car and then get them to line up on the grid for an evaluation of the track conditions. After consultations with the riders, the right decision was taken to cancel the second race which had initially been scheduled for 14:00 CET.

In the morning, the ten-lap Superpole sprint race took place on a dry track, and this saw a double podium for both Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders, Chaz Davies and Álvaro Bautista, who finished second and third at the flag behind Rea. While championship leader Bautista struggled to keep the pace of the Kawasaki man, Davies immediately powered into the lead from pole position, but a mistake at the Variante Bassa at the end of the opening lap dropped him down to third. Chaz then managed to pass his team-mate, setting fastest lap and the new circuit record on the way, but he was unable to close the gap separating him from Rea.

Following the Imola results, Bautista still has a firm grip on the leadership board with 263 points, 43 more than Rea, while Davies lies in sixth with 85 points. The next race in this year’s Superbike World Championship – the Spanish Round – will be held in four weeks’ time at Jerez de la Frontera from 7 to 9 June.

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 2nd / –

“It’s a bit of a shame we never got the chance to do race 2 here at Imola but unfortunately in the wet this track has quite a few limits. Imola is not a normal circuit, and with these ups and downs you get a lot of standing water especially in the corners and these conditions meant that they had to cancel today’s race. It was the right decision, but I’m sorry for all the fans who stayed here in the rain all afternoon just to see us race. The positive thing is that we managed to do the sprint race, and judging by the result, it was a pity not to have been able to do the full-length second race. After a tough start to the season, I’m starting to see the light and my feeling with the Panigale V4 R is improving all the time. I go home from Imola knowing that I’ve made a lot of progress in view of the next races.”

Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati #19) – 3rd / –

“Unfortunately the bad weather affected the second race, and it was raining really hard. The track conditions were dangerous, with a lot of water in some parts and streams crossing the track. It was too risky for the riders and it was the right decision to cancel the race. We feel really bad about that because we know that there are a lot of Superbike fans here, but rider safety is the most important aspect. Having the support of all the Ducatisti is incredible and even though I didn’t win a race, it was one of the best weekends in my entire career because I really felt their support. For this reason, I feel a bit sorry for them, but I think they will understand the situation.”