Cortese blows open WorldSSP title race with stunning UK win

Kallio Racing rider and Cluzel new WorldSSP top-2 after action-packed Donington race

Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) took the second win of his FIM Supersport World Championship career with a cool, controlled ride in his first venture to Donington Park in nine years. The German shot up to second at the start, and after taking the lead one third into the race managed to defend his lead professionally to the checkered flag in a three-way battle with Jules Cluzel (NRT) and Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag), second and third.

The race start saw Cluzel shoot off into the lead from pole, building a 0.7 gap with Cortese by lap 1. Defending champion Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) fell to fourth, with De Rosa making the best of the inside line and climbing to third.

After Hiraki Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) crashed out 5 laps in, two packs of three led the race action. Cortese found the moment to attack in lap 8, his one aggressive move through all 20 laps. The German found a gap at Coppice Corner with Cluzel going wide, and sliced in like a hot knife through butter, taking the inside line and rubbing shoulders with the NRT rider. Pushing forward, there was no stopping Cortese with an open track ahead.

De Rosa took advantage of the pair’s squabbles, closing the small gap and setting up a thrilling second half of the race. His moment to push came with five laps to go, pushing up to second over Cluzel after a mistake from the Frenchman. But with one to go, Cluzel struck back, taking another 20 points and confirming that he’s a hot favourite for the title. De Rosa, meanwhile, scores his third consecutive third-place finish, an astonishing feat for the MV Agusta in a Yamaha-heavy top end.

The two WorldSSP leaders up to this point led another stunning battle, but not quite as high up the field as they might have preferred. Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) won this duel the hard way, passing Mahias first at the Old Hairpin, falling back 10 laps later after a huge, race-threatening wobble, before pushing behind the Frenchman again with a lap to go. Fourth and fifth for the pair, respectively, who now fall to third and fourth in the championship, behind the Donington top-2.

Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) struggled to keep up with the leading pace from a seventh position start, and with his sixth place at Donington falls behind in the championship standings.

Ayrton Badovini (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was the best of the rest at the UK Round, meeting the flag in seventh position, with Thomas Gradinger (NRT) in eighth. Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), returning to racing action at Donington, also made it into the top-ten in ninth, with Andrew Irwin (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) the first of the home riders here at Donington, in tenth.

P1 – Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing)

“It was a really rough and hard race, its so physically hard at this track. But from the beginning onwards I felt quote good and the pace was very high from Jules. After five laps I thought I had to overtake and get my pace because in the last few races I waited and missed my chance. After I overtook Jules and it took some laps but i got my rhythm and I felt great, so a big thanks to my team after the changes we made over night, its a great feeling.”

#UKWorldSBK WorldSSP at Donington Park – Race

1. Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing)

2. Jules Cluzel (NRT) +1.377

3. Rafaelle de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) +2.676

WorldSSP Championship Standings after Round 6

1. Sandro Cortese (GER) Yamaha (102 points)

2. Jules Cluzel (FRA) Yamaha (95 points)

3. Randy Krummencher (GER) Yamaha (94 points)

For more information in more languages head to WorldSBK.com

Carrasco flies to UK WorldSSP300 victory

Strong start from championship leader gives no option to chasing group

Ana Carrasco (DS Junior Team) held and extended her lead in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship with a dominant display at Donington Park. The Spaniard was unstoppable at the Prosecco DOC UK Round, taking the first-ever Grand Slam in WorldSSP300 – pole, win, fastest lap and all laps led. Behind, another frantic last lap dash saw her teammate Dorren Loureiro (DS Junior Team) taking his first podium finish in WorldSSP300.

Carrasco knew that, just as at Imola, her pace with an open track ahead was nearly unbeatable. All she needed was a good start, which Carrasco nailed down, shooting ahead while Koen Meuffels (KTM Fortron Junior Team) and Mika Pérez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) got caught up in the podium tussle.

With the Murcian, who now leads the championship by 22 points, racing off into the distance, a thrilling battle for second emerged into the final lap. Scott Deroue (Motoport Kawasaki) had managed to open a gap and controlled his return to the podium midway through the race, but late mistakes, including a last-lap journey through the Fogarty Esses, meant that he dropped all the way back to sixth.

With Deroue out of contention, it was finally Loureiro edging ahead at the flag, with Borja Sánchez (ETG Racing) scoring a second successive podium in third. Enzo De La Vega (GP Project Team) managed his best result of the season in fourth, with Meuffels in fifth.

Jan-Ole Jahnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) made his way to the flag in seventh, with Pérez down to eighth, Galang Hendra Pratama (BIBLION YAMAHA MOTOXRACING) in ninth, and Luca Grunwald (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team), still second in the championship, finishing his Donington weekend in tenth.

P1 – Ana Carrasco (DS Junior Team)

“Its incredible for us, we did a really good job this weekend. The race was difficult, it was a bit more windy than yesterday and I could not make the lap times so easily. It’s really good for us and for the championship, I want to say thanks to my team, and everyone who supports me.”

#UKWorldSBK WorldSSP300 at Donington Park – Race

1. Ana Carrasco (DS Junior Team)

2. Dorren Loureiro (DS Junior Team) 4.602

3. Borja Sanchez (ETG Racing) +4.965

WorldSSP300 Championship Standings after Round 4

1. Ana Carrasco (ESP) Kawasaki (73 points)

2. Luca Grunwald (GER) KTM (51 points)

3. Scott Deroue (NED) KTM (46 points)

For more information in more languages head to WorldSBK.com

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Ninth For Morais At Donington

Warm and dry conditions appeared at Donington Park in time for the WorldSSP race, with Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finishing ninth and scoring valuable championship points. A competitive early ride for Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) ended in a crash on lap five.

After finding similar problems in hard braking areas that he had experienced in practice and qualifying, Morais found it tough to pass other riders from his tenth place staring position. Running wide and losing places as a result in the early laps, Morais mode up several places as the race progressed, making his ninth place finish a strong performance.

Okubo’s race was shaping up nicely as he was fifth on lap one and lap two, and then slowly dropped back before his fall at Coppice Corner. It appears he drifted onto the kerb, as Hikari could find no other reason why he fell.

In the championship Morais in 15th and Okubo 19th, with the top Kawasaki rider being Anthony West in overall ninth position.

The next round will be held at Brno, in the Czech republic, with raceday on Sunday the 10th of June.

Hikari Okubo, stated: “My start was good and for the first few laps I was inside the top group, which is very important. I do not really know why I crashed. The front moved a lot and I could not control the front and I think that is why it crashed. I was very shocked and I am very sorry to have fallen again, so I am not happy about that. I will try to have a good race next time.”

Sheridan Morais stated: “I am happy with the progress we have made with the bike. But the problem we have had this weekend is stopping the bike. It was a problem at the start when I was trying to pass and make up positions. I kept running wide and was losing way more positions. This was the only issue and we started to make up positions after that, and I had to make passes in the fast corners. I also struggled a bit with arm pump because I had to use so much brake pressure. But I believe this was a really hard track for the bike because the stopping power was so difficult. I am happy with the bike but I am disappointed only to come home with a top ten finish.”

Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing Kawasaki) was just outside the top 10, his 11th place being his fourth points scoring result of the season.

Wayne Tessels (Chromeburner Wayne’s Racingteam MTM) was 20th in the race, Michael Canducci (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) 21st, and Javier Ezequiel Iturrioz (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) 22nd.

Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was not able to start the race at the last minute, and Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Against Cancer) crashed out, but still leads the FIM Europe Supersport Cup (ESS) championship by 15 points.

More, from a press release issued by Scott Deroue’s publicist:

DIFFICULT WEEKEND ENDS WITH P6

Although Scott Deroue finished Friday with the fastest time, the MotoPort Kawasaki Team had some technical issues to solve. It cost the Dutch rider a good grid position, as he had problems with the clutch in Superpole 2. He only could get four laps in, so a fast time wasn’t possible and Deroue had to settle for tenth place. He showed he was eager to get a good result at Donington Park, as he was charging through the field in the first couple of laps. The Kawasaki-rider took second place and could produce a gap to the chasing pack. He was pushing a lot and had a big moment at the end of the race. He was almost of the track and the riders who were chasing Deroue were smelling blood. The Dutchman could fight till the last few corners for the second place, but a false neutral tipping in Foggy Esses destroyed his podium chances. Deroue had to settle for sixth place. Meanwhile he’s still in third position in the championship, but Deroue saw his former teammate Ana Carrasco creating a bigger gap at the front. She’s now 27 points ahead of the MotoPort Kawasaki-rider. In two weeks time the team will put their Kawasaki’s on the paddock of Brno, where Deroue will fight to close the gap to championship leader Carrasco.

Scott Deroue: ‘Somehow I always feel at home when I arrive at Donington Park, a track that I really love. Of course, It was nice to set the fastest time on Friday, but it didn’t bring me anything. Unfortunately we had some technical issues this weekend, also at Superpole 2. I only managed to get four laps in that session, so it wasn’t really possible to put in a fast time. Starting the race from P10 wasn’t ideal, but I had some really good first laps. I could overtake some riders, get behind leader Carrasco and created a gap to my closest rivals. I was pushing a lot to stay in front of them and almost crashed my Kawasaki. The group behind me came closer and closer, because of that moment. I needed to fight them in the last couple of laps and was able to stay in front of them. At the Foggy Esses my gearbox was stuck in a false neutral, so I couldn’t turn in. It blew my chances for a podium and I needed to settle for sixth position. I lost a lot of points to Carrasco, but I know I have the pure speed to get some good results in the next few races. We are still challengers for the championship, so that’s positive. I’m really looking forward to Brno, a track that I like because of the lay-out with some fast, fluent corners.’

Results (full results, click on links)

First free practice: P7, 1.57,561

Second free practice: P1, 1.44,606

Superpole 2: P10, 1.44,433 – Gridposition, P10

Race:

1. Ana Carrasco (ESP) – Kawasaki, 22.33,497

2. Dorren Loureiro (RSA) – Kawasaki, +4,602

3. Borja Sanchez – Kawasaki, +4,965

4. Enzo de la Vega (FRA) – Kawasaki, +5,114

5. Koen Meuffels (NED) – KTM, +5,458

6. Scott Deroue – Kawasaki, + 5,530

Championship classification:

1. Carrasco, 73

2. Grünwald, 51

3. Deroue, 46

4. Sanchez, 42

5. Loureiro, 42

The next race of the season will be at the circuit of Brno, in the weekend of friday 8th till sunday 10th of June.

More, from another press release issued by Kawasaki:

Carrasco Wins Again And Deroue Sixth

Spanish rider Ana Carrasco (DS Junior Team Kawasaki) continued her amazing run of recent form on the Ninja400 by scoring her second win of the year – and her second in succession – at Donington today. Scott Deroue (Motoport Kawasaki) was in the running for the podium place but overcooked it into the final entry of Foggy’s Chicane and ran off the track, dropping places and finally finishing sixth.

The exciting WorldSSP300 class delivered astounding entertainment and close racing once again, but for the second race in succession the main pack of riders was chasing Ana Carrasco’s shadow.

The first woman to ever win a full FIM World Championship road race event, she has now won three in her career, one last year two this season.

Carrasco took a clear lead and then a win by over 4.602 seconds from her own team-mate, Dorren Loureiro, from South Africa. Carrasco had also taken the Superpole award on Saturday, earning a pole position start for today’s 13-lap race.

There were four Kawasaki Ninja 400s in the top four places today, and five in the top six after Dutch rider Deroue’s luck ran out on him in the final quarter of the race, after some had passing and close quarter riding.

Borja Sanchez was the third Kawasaki rider on the podium on his ETG Racing Ninja, with Enzo De La Vega fourth on his GR Project Kawasaki.

Mika Perez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was eighth for the second weekend in succession and Tom Edwards (Nutec – Benjan Kawasaki) placed 15th today, making him the final points scorer. Edwards’ team-mate Walid Khan crashed out of contention on lap one.

Carrasco now leads the championship by an extended margin of 22 points, from Luca Grunwald, 73-51. Deroue is still third in the title hunt with 46 points in all, with Sanchez and Loureiro ranked fourth and fifth, and just four points behind, with 42 points each.

Brno in the Czech Republic will host the next round with raceday on Sunday the 10th of June.

Ana Carrasco, stated: “I am super-happy because the weekend was not easy but we were calm and worked really well. A second victory in a row is incredible for us and also for the championship it is really good. It was a difficult race because there was more wind than yesterday and I could not make lap times so easy. I have to say thank you to everyone around me because everyone is pushing for me, and everybody watching at home.”

Dorren Loureiro, stated: “That race was definitely so stressful and very, very crazy, especially going into the last lap. We had to catch everyone in the race because were a little bit too far back but I am happy to do it and get my first podium finish.”

Scott Deroue, stated: “I’m so disappointed after a good race, a big moment and a technical problem in the last lap resulting in a P6 finish. Also disappointed that being fastest in the corners doesn’t mean you win the race in WSS300. Next stop Brno and hopefully the luck is on our side.”

More, from a press release issued by RaceDays Honda:

Racedays Riders Soomer And Iozzo In The Mix At Donington Park

Racedays riders Hannes Soomer and Dino Iozzo were once again in the mix and at the sharp end of #UKWorldSBK, round 6 of the World Superbike Championship held at Donington Park in Leicestershire over the weekend. Hannes finishing well inside the points in World Supersport and Dino Iozzo battling hard to finish 20th in World Supersport 300.

The undulating and technical 2.5 mile British circuit is a challenge for riders at the best of time so with a torrential downpour on Friday track time in the dry to find the optimum set-up for race day was limited.

Nevertheless both riders worked hard, progressing throughout the weekend ensuring that Racedays were once again scoring World Championship points.

Dino Iozzo also showed the team, and the packed Fan Zone at the Paddock Show on Saturday evening that the young South African can also sing. His live rendition of Ghostbusters accompanied by a live band helped the Two Wheels For Life charity raise almost £8000, and Racedays were delighted to have played a part in this.

The next round of both World Supersport championships sees the entire WorldSBK return to Brno in the Czech republic which whilst a new circuit for both riders wont stop them for continuing their steps forward to the front.

Mike Dickinson – Team Manager: “An excellent weekend all round. Hannes did a great job, he’s back on form and scoring points again. He had a great race swapping places with very fast riders. Chassis development is now consistent in the wet and dry and very good tyre wear. Dino once again showed he is a racer, and if he can just qualify a little bit higher he would be a threat to some of the more experienced riders. A very creditable 20th place from 30th on the grid. We now move onto Brno, a new track to our riders where our objective will be to continue with the current forward momentum. Thank you for the great work dedication and commitment from the team.”

Hannes Soomer: “It was a very good weekend overall. The team worked very well together and we found a really good setup for the bike in the wet and also made big progress understanding our situation in the dry. I had a good race where I had to fight a lot from the first lap until the last. We now go to Brno which is a new track for me but I hope we can make another step there. Big thanks to the team for the great work all weekend and for my sponsors for making this all possible.”

Dino Iozzo: “The team and I started the week really well. In the first practice which was wet and cold we placed 6th and I was very happy with the accomplishment. We continued to progress throughout the weekend and I was positive for qualifying. I didn’t have the best qualifying as I still need to learn the circuit in the dry but was relatively happy. The race went really well, setting PB after PB and I was able to work my way up to 20th position. Once again without the hard work from my team, this weekend wouldn’t be possible. Thank you to all my sponsors and supporters. Also great job to everyone that was involved in the Rider Concert for Two Wheels For Life. It was a lot of fun and as I sang on stage – I ain’t afraid of no ghosts!”

For more information visit: www.racedayshonda.com

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Van Der Mark Storms to Sensational Yamaha Donington Double

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team’s Michael van der Mark wrote history by taking his maiden victory on Saturday at Round 6 of the 2018 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship at Donington Park, and the flying Dutchman produced an encore performance on Sunday by pulling off a simply incredible ride from ninth on the grid in Race 2 to “do the double” and claim his second race win of the weekend. His teammate Alex Lowes rode an aggressive first lap from pole position and led for the majority of the race, before battling hard to secure his second fourth-placed finish of the weekend. Wildcard Niccolò Canepa has not had the easiest of weekends, as the team’s official Test Rider struggled to find a good rhythm, but despite this, he charged from 24th on the grid to cross the line in 18th place.

Van der Mark’s historic Race 1 victory saw him become the first Dutch rider to win a WorldSBK race and meant he recorded the first win for Yamaha since their return to WorldSBK in 2016, but it also meant he would start Sunday’s Race 2 from ninth on the grid. A track temperature of 37°C, cloudy skies, and some drops of rain was the order of the day at Donington Park on Sunday and when the lights went out the 25-year-old remained calm and skilfully picked his way past a number of riders amidst a chaotic first few laps. Up to fifth at the end of the first lap, he was showing superb pace and consistency and had fought his way to third by lap 2. He kept on pushing on his Pata Yamaha R1 and by the fourth lap he was into second place and had set his sights on closing down the 1.5s gap to his teammate Lowes in the lead.

Staying patient, the 2014 WorldSSP Champion’s pace continued to improve as the race went on and by lap 9 he was right on his teammate’s back wheel. The fight for victory became a three-way battle as Jonathan Rea joined the two Pata Yamaha R1s and, in one of the most sensational races seen in WorldSBK for a while, an incredible game of cat and mouse ensued over the next few laps. Rea made his move on lap 12 for second place but van der Mark just took stock and bided his time, knowing that his pace was good enough to fight for victory in the latter stages. On lap 18, he blasted past Rea and Lowes to take the lead for the first time and with a clear track in front of him, he never looked back, setting his fastest lap of the race on lap 21 and opening up a gap over his rivals. Continuing to push right until the line, he went on to record his second WorldSBK victory by 2.328s, less than 24 hours after the first. In the process, he secured a historic Donington double and the 50 points he collected this weekend now sees van der Mark move up to third in the championship standings with 163 points, just 18 behind Chaz Davies in second.

Lowes was determined to fight for victory at his and the team’s home round from pole position in Race 2 after his superb ride to fourth on Saturday. Not getting the best of starts, the 27-year-old Brit was forced wide at the first corner and dropped down to fifth. Mounting a sensational recovery, he was up to second by the end of the first lap and had taken the lead on lap 2. He rode superbly in the tricky conditions as drops of rain appeared in every sector, opening up a gap to the rest of the field and leading across the line for 15 laps. He pushed to the absolute limit, despite struggling with his grip levels on corner exit as the race progressed, only relinquishing his lead on Lap 17 after a stunning duel with Rea. Losing out to his teammate on the next lap, Lowes regrouped and continued to give it his all, battling hard with Razgatlioglu and Rea in the last few laps before crossing the line in fourth-place, just 2.894s behind his teammate to match his result from Race1. Having collected 26 points over the course of his home round, Lowes is seventh in the championship standings with 118 points and is confident that he can challenge for victory once again at Brno after a positive test at the circuit.

Wildcard Canepa did not have the easiest of weekends in the UK, as the Pata Yamaha official Test Rider evaluated some new components on his development R1, struggling to find his usual good feeling with the bike. After finishing Race 1 in 20th, he lined up in 24th on the grid on Sunday and despite some excellent work by his team, during the race, he did still not have the feeling he was expecting with his R1. Despite this, he fought valiantly and went on a charge towards the end of the race, overtaking a number of riders to secure 18th place at the chequered flag.

Fresh from a historic Donington double, the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team head to Brno for Round 7 of the 2018 WorldSBK Championship on the 8th-10th of June looking to repeat their success following an extremely positive two-day test at the circuit recently.

Michael van der Mark

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 1st

“That was incredible – an amazing race! They always say that after the first victory, it gets easier but I really never expected to win today. We made some minor changes on the bike, I was still losing out in some areas to the other guys, but overall my R1 felt really good and I could push to the maximum. I had to start from ninth and stay calm in the first few laps that were a bit chaotic. I made my way to the front and followed Alex for a long time. Jonny passed me and I kept calm and used my head, at the end, I managed to pass him and pull away! It was incredible to take my first victory but I am genuinely lost for words about the double this weekend. The Yamaha is working so well and we had a really good test at Brno, so I am really looking to riding there. For sure, this weekend has given us a big boost and we now know that we can go there with a target to win!”

Alex Lowes

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 4th +2.894s

“It was a tough race, despite leading for so long. I was hoping to fix the issues we had had at the end of Race 1 because I knew I could be quite strong. It was a little better than yesterday but I still had the same restriction where I simply could not maximise my performance at the end. What is frustrating for me, is that historically my strongest part of the race is the last part, at the minute that is not the case. This is really frustrating but, apart from this, I did my best and I rode well. Well done to Michael and all of his team. It is nice to see that we are at the front and it’s great for everyone involved. Now we need to focus on Brno and try and do a bit better.”

Niccolò Canepa

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 18th +47.701s

“To be honest, this has been one of the worst weekends of my career. Anyway, this can happen in racing and we tried our hardest to figure out what happened all weekend but I have not been comfortable on the R1 since the first practice session. In the wet FP1, I was P6 but something didn’t feel right with the bike. The team have done everything possible to try and understand this issue but we could not solve it. I know I can be a lot faster than this and I know that the bike can be a lot faster than this so, for sure, we will solve the problem and we will do some testing to find out what the issue was. This can happen when you are a test rider, we had a few items to assess and maybe something was not working in the best direction. Anyway, as the team’s Test Rider I am really happy for Michael’s double victory because that means we are doing a good job in developing it and the bike is improving race and race and this is a great result for the team, for Michael, and for everyone. It has been a great weekend for Yamaha and the team!”

Paul Denning

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team Principal

“An incredible result for Michael, for Yamaha, for the team, and for everyone involved in the project. Yesterday, the way in which the victory was achieved was outstanding and today was even more impressive. As soon as Michael had a clear track in front of him, he was on another level to his competitors. The feeling is less emotional and more one of relief to win, but also honestly of surprise at the way in which Michael was able to dominate. Massive congratulations to him, to his crew, and to all involved.

Alex rode an outstanding race as well, leading for 15 laps and making superb passes early in the race to recover from fifth to first. There are a couple of areas of the bike that doesn’t allow him to ride it as naturally as Michael but to fight so hard for the podium and to come in fourth, less than 3 seconds off the win is another step forward and in Brno I expect that progress from Alex and his team to continue. His sportsmanship and teamwork at Donington was also fantastic – when Alex wins, it will also be fully deserved.

Nico, honestly, has had a really tough weekend. Things haven’t worked for him. He is a World Champion and an extremely fast rider and for whatever reason, the development package just wasn’t working for him here at Donington Park. He is a vital part of the project and we are looking forward to him bouncing back from this disappointment and continuing his excellent development work with the R1.”