ACERBIS Czech Round
FIM Supersport World Championship
Automotodrom Brno
Brno, Czech Republic
June 10, 2018
Race Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jules Cluzel, France (Yam YZF-R6), 16 laps, Total Race Time 33:15.783, Best Lap Time 2:04.081
2. Sandro Cortese, Germany (Yam YZF-R6), -0.148 second, 2:03.988
3. Raffaele De Rosa, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -3.368 seconds, 2:04.018
4. Lucas Mahias, France (Yam YZF-R6), -6.735, 2:03.886
5. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland (Yam YZF-R6), -7.764, 2:04.288
6. Tom Gradinger, Austria (Yam YZF-R6), -18.651, 2:04.275
7. Anthony West, Australia (Kaw ZX-6R), -20.773, 2:04.634
8. Kyle Smith, UK (Hon CBR600RR), -22.576, 2:04.737
9. Eemeli Lahti, Finland (Suz GSX-R600), -30.575, 2:05.109
10. Loris Cresson, Belgium (Yam YZF-R6), -31.323, 2:04.838
11. Robin Hartog, Netherlands (Kaw ZX-6R), -33.589, 2:05.611
12. Hannes Soomer, Estonia (Hon CBR600RR), -34.857, 2:05.959
13. Hikari Okubu, Japan (Kaw ZX-6R), -36.627, 2:05.862
14. Alfonso Coppola, Italy (Yam YZF-R6), -40.124, started from pit lane*, 2:05.706
15. Alex Baldolini, Italy (Hon CBR600RR), -41.867, technical problem, 2:06.0346
26. Sheridan Morais, South Africa (Kaw ZX-6R), -11 laps, DNF, crash, 2:04.644
28. Ayrton Badovini, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -13 laps, DNF, crash, 2:05.709
29. Federico Caricasulo, Italy (Yam YZF-R6), -15 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded
*exceeded engine allocation
World Championship Point Standings (after 7 of 12 races):
1. Cortese, 122 points
2. Cluzel, 120
3. Krummenacher, 105
4. Mahias, 103
5. De Rosa, 83
6. Caricasulo, 79
7. Luke Stapleford, 45
8. West, 41
9. Gradinger, 40
10. Niki Tuuli, 38
More, from a press release issued by CIA Landlord Insurance Honda:
Top Ten for Smith & frustration for Irwin at Brno
CIA Landlord Insurance Honda rider Kyle Smith delivered a top ten finish in today’s hot and humid World Supersport race at Brno in the Czech Republic.
From his qualifying position on the fourth row of the grid Smith got a bad start but fought his way through the field to trade positions with Ant West for the majority of the 16-lap race finally crossing the line in eighth place.
Smith said: “Positive first race back I think we still have some work to do and hopefully we can soon be fighting for the top 5. We’ve kept improving throughout the weekend, we had a few problems with grip which in warm up took us in the wrong direction so for the race we didn’t want to risk going in the opposite direction and went back to where we were. Maybe we should have taken the risk but we have more races ahead of us so hopefully we can keep improving on the result.”
Fellow CIA Landlord Insurance Honda rider Andrew Irwin made a good start to the race but his bid for another points scoring finish was frustrated when the grip levels went down and he finished just outside the points in 17th place.
“It was a frustrating race. The first four laps I felt pretty good maybe 13th/ 14th then the front tyre went off a lot faster that we thought it would. I crashed this morning and I didn’t want to do the same thing with the worn tyre the same as this morning so I used my head as much as I could and the tyre progressively got worse. No points, it’s one of those things, you have to have a bad race every now and then and this is it. I’ve got to progress from here and come back in Misano as competitive as possible.”
CIA Landlord Insurance Honda Team Manager Simon Buckmaster said: “I think we can take confidence and a good feeling from today’s race. Kyle made a bad start but he battled for seventh with West just losing out a bit on the last lap but a good strong finish. We tried different settings this morning but the conditions were a bit cooler in warm up so it would have been a risk to run them in the race. Maybe it would have paid off but we wanted to get a good positive start to our reunion so I think it is a good result and we can look forward from here with confidence and enthusiasm. Congratulations to Kyle and his crew Stu and George, I think we can go to Misano in a good frame of mind.”
“Andrew slipped off in warm up this morning in cooler conditions so we went for the softer front tyre to give him confidence but the track temperature went up quite a lot during the race and the tyre started to wear. To look at it’s not too bad but after the crash this morning he didn’t want to make the same mistake. Andrew’s learning all the time it’s another completely different track unlike anything he is used to so he just dropped out of the points. He is going forward so I am sure in Misano he will go from strength to strength. He is learning tracks well, we have really good data from there and Misano has been a strong track for us and for Kyle in the past so we are looking forward to a good race. Our aim is to be fighting further towards the front and closer to the top ten with Andrew. Let’s see what we can do.”
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta Reparto Corse:
DE ROSA GET HIS 4TH SEASONAL PODIUM IN BRNO
10 GIUGNO 2018
The race day at the Autodromo Brno was held in warm and dry conditions, with the team MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag celebrating the fourth consecutive podium of Raffaele De Rosa in the WorldSSP, with the Italian rider taking the third position after a very battled race.
WorldSBK – MV Agusta Reparto Corse Team
After the difficulties met in WorldSBK Race 1, Jordi Torres kicked off Race2 from the eighteenth place on the starting grid, but the Spaniard was forced to pull out of the race after a few laps due to the persistence of health problems that affected his performance the whole weekend. Torres will be back on track on 22-24 June ahead of the next round in Laguna Seca, USA.
WorldSSP – Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag
When the lights go out, Raffaele makes a good start, staying close to the leading group, stable in the third position, and for most of the race he is able to fight with Cluzel and Cortese for the first position. At the end of the race the Italian start suffering a loss of grip with the front tire, being forced to slow down the pace in order to save the tires for the remaining laps. At the end of the race, Raffaele cross the finish line in third position, getting the fourth podium in a row for this WorldSSP season.
Team-mate Ayrton Badovini, who got the third fastest time in Friday’s FP1, had to pull out of the race because of a crash at turn 11, during the 4th lap, caused by a stone on the track coming from a rival rider.
Jordi Torres – This weekend didn’t go as we hoped. I had some physical problems for the whole weekend that made me ride the bike not the way I wanted. Despite this, we had the opportunity to test some components for the next races. Closed this page, now I want to stay focused on the next race and try to repay the team with the best possible performance.
Raffaele De Rosa – I am very happy for me and for the whole squad. In the middle of the race, I managed to close the gap with Cluzel and Cortese but with five laps to go I was really struggling with the front tire and I was forced to slow down. This fourth consecutive podium shows that we have all the chance to stay constantly with the firsts and I am sure that we are missing only a few small steps to aim for the victory.
Ayrton Badovini – I am very disappointed because the weekend had started on the right way and this crash wasted all our work. We are looking for a way to sort this situation out and I hope that the hard work will soon bring us back to the front positions. I thank all my team and I wish congratulate Raffaele once again for the excellent result.
More, from a press release issued by EAB AntWest Racing:
AFTER FIRST LAP COLLISION, WEST BATTLES THROUGH TO SEVENTH
Round 7 Czech Republic
Autodromo Brno, Czech Republic
The EAB antwest Racing World Supersport Team arrived on Wednesday in the Czech Republic encouraged by Ant’s history of strong results at the flowing Brno circuit.
Still nursing his surgically repaired arm from the crash in Assen, and coming off a recent victory at the Suzuka round in ARRC, Ant was ready to take advantage of a circuit that suits his riding style.
Free Practice 1 started with dry conditions and a lot of questions regarding bike setup since World Super Sport had not visited the Czech circuit for many years and the specifications of the class had changed. After the first laps on track, Ant and the crew were struggling to find grip. The unique downhill nature of the Brno Circuit requires a similarly unique setup to deal with the fast, flowing downhill corners. Without much improvement in grip, Ant was able to finish the session in ninth place, first Kawasaki, but 1.8 seconds adrift of P1.
Free Practice 2 started under partly cloudy skies and a new setup in the bike to try and find the illusive grip required to make a fast lap time. The first thirty minutes of the session were especially difficult when the new FP2 setting did not deliver any added grip. Ant was visibly frustrated with the lack of progress in finding a setup after numerous exits from pitlane. The crew took a gamble in the waning moments of the session, threw in a new rear tire and sent Ant out to try and find his way in to the coveted top ten that automatically advance in to Super Pole 2. With less than four minutes to go in the session when he exited pitlane for the final time, Ant was only going to get one flying lap to try and set a new time and earn a top ten position. With only the out lap to learn how to ride the new setup, the pressure was on. He passed the start line just moments before the checkered flag flew and started his time attack. Ant put his head down and fired in a 2:04.585, good enough to be fifth overall in FP2 and first Kawasaki. More importantly, he made it into SP2.
Overnight, Ant and the crew worked on refining the radically changed setup they used in FP2 for the short FP3 session that precedes Super Pole 2. The FP3 session was an improvement over FP2 but Ant and the crew were still looking for more after finishing in eighth place. As the crew prepared for Super Pole, more setup changes were made. After an intense ten minutes of the fifteen minute Super Pole session, Ant was languishing near the bottom of the twelve competitors. With a new tire installed he exited pitlane for one last attempt at a fast lap. The crews’ fast work in pitlane was going to allow Ant to get two flying laps to try and get further up the field. After the first flying lap, Ant set his personal best of the weekend with a time of 2:04.381. His second lap was even faster through the first three sectors before he encountered a slower rider and he lost time. The previous lap was good enough to finish the session in eighth place, middle of the third row, and first Kawasaki.
During the Saturday night debrief, it was determined that another change was going to have to happen to give Ant the best possible package for fighting during the race. The crew looked at all the data and all the notes from Ant and formulated a new setup to try in morning warmup. Morning warmup started with a 32 degree track temperature and Ant was on the circuit the moment the track went green. After the fifteen minute session, Ant was in eighth position again and, more importantly, had found the setup he was going to use for the race.
As the time for the race was approaching, the skies were blue and the track temperature was increasing. The final preparations were made and it was time to race. When the lights went out, Ant got a decent start and was looking to attack on the downhill corners, determined not to lose touch with the much faster Yamahas. As Ant lined up to overtake some riders in front of him going in to turn five, the field compressed together and pushed some riders out, causing a collision between Ant and another rider. Ant was able to save the bike from crashing, but the effort pushed him wide and allowed the field to pass, he was now in the fifteenth position. He was able to pass a rider on the way back to the stripe and he was in fourteenth at the end of the first lap. On lap two, he made up four more positions and crossed the line in tenth. By lap four, he was eighth. On lap six, he almost crashed after losing the front in turn three. Between laps eight and thirteen he was battling with Kyle Smith for seventh position. After gapping Smith, he set off after Gradinger and was catching him but he just ran out of time. Ant’s last lap was a 2:06.2, compared with race winner Cluzel’s 2:06.0 last lap time, and he crossed the finish line in seventh place overall and first Kawasaki.
Ant is now eighth in the World Championship standings, first Kawasaki in the standings, and he has delivered 41 of Kawasaki’s 57 point total in the manufacturers’ championship.
Anthony West 13, P7
Looking at my lap times, we had the pace to finish farther up the field, but after colliding with another rider on lap one, I just put my head down and tried to catch as many people as I could. I had a big moment on lap six in turn three. I thought we missed the mark on setup, but then two turns later I saw Morais crash after losing the front in turn five. I just tried to settle down and let the tires recover after abusing them when I was coming through the field. After the tires cooled down, I was able to attack again. I felt like I was on the limit catching and passing riders because our bike is still lacking acceleration off the corners. I can’t even draft pass anyone, I have to dive bomb people on the brakes. We need to find more engine power.
EAB antwest Racing is a critically underfunded yet competitive team competing in the World Supersport championship comprised of Australian, American and Dutch members. EAB antwest Racing is supported by EAB, Accent Timber Flooring, Putoline, National Tiles, Race-Pro, Riva Moto, FuSport, Arai, Furygan,
Danske Frargtmeand. Unique season long and one event sponsorship opportunities are available.
For more information contact Murph at [email protected]
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Points For Okubo After Morais Finds Misfortune
Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 13th in the WorldSSP race at Brno today but his team-mate Sheridan Morais was unlucky to crash as he tried to pass another rider, ending his race on lap six of 16.
On a dry and warm raceday Morais looked set for a top six finish at least, as he felt he had the race pace to challenge right at the 5.403km Brno circuit.
Starting from the third row he was unfortunate to lose the front as he tried to overtake another rider, in order to get free to make his challenge towards the front group of riders.
Okubo, knowing that he had to score points today, kept a cool head and finished up taking three points away for 13th position. A new rider to Brno on Friday, he could not find the same level of full race pace as he had found to qualify 12th in Superpole.
Morais is still 15th in the overall championship standings and Okubo is now 18th after seven of 12 rounds.
The WorldSSP riders will not race at the Laguna Seca WorldSBK weekend but will return to action at Misano, in Italy, between the 6th and the 8th of July.
Hikari Okubo, stated: “It has been a very difficult race week. On Friday I had a very bad position in Free Practice but in Superpole we improved to 12th, but I could not find a good race set-up. Over one lap was no problem but for race pace it was not the same. If I pushed hard maybe I would crash again. I am not happy with my finishing position but it was important to get some championship points. I am not giving up and I like the track at the next round in Misano, so I need to push hard there.”
Sheridan Morais stated: “I just lost the front. We had really good race pace but I was trying to get past Gradinger. His bike is really fast, and I had to risk it like I did to try and get past him, and I crashed. It is a pity because we had the race pace to be at the front, not only for the podium, but to fight to the guys out front.”
Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing Kawasaki) was the best placed Kawasaki rider in the race today, in seventh. The Aussie rider is now eighth in the championship fight, just four points behind the seventh placed rider.
Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Against Cancer) was 11th, and second in the ESS class-within-a-class race. He still leads the overall ESS rankings by 13 points. Wayne Tessels (Chromeburner Wayne’s Racingteam MTM) was 20th today, with Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) just one place behind.
Luigi Morciano (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) was 22nd at Brno, Javier Ezequiel Iturrioz (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) 23rd.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
WorldSSP: Cluzel reigns at Brno after stunning battle with Cortese
Incredible final lap ends with Cluzel taking third win of the campaign
Cluzel and Cortese went toe to toe around Brno
Jules Cluzel (NRT) and Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) continued their sensational tussle as an intense rivalry is developing between the pair, putting on a strong show here in Brno. After a first promising tussle at Donington Park, the pair put an even more thrilling battle at the Automotodrom Brno to heat up the FIM Supersport World Championship even further, with the Frenchman managing to beat his championship rival this time around, and reducing the gap to the top of the championship to only two points.
Cluzel struck first at the lights, taking advantage of a slow start from Cortese to move into first by the first corner. Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) also made his way into second, a position he would lose back to Cortese however by the end of lap one, with Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) also moving into third above the Swiss rider a few turns later. Meanwhile, Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) suffered his second retirement of the season, going down at Turn eight.
The two frontrunners had battled on the timesheets throughout the weekend, and that rivalry translated to the track, with a thrilling sequence at the tail end of lap four leaving an early highlight: Cortese cut ahead of Cluzel at Turn 11, but the Frenchman shot back two bends later, both riders nearly coming together in a flashback of Cortese’s winning move at Donington Park. In the midst of that action, the shadow of De Rosa’s MV Agusta crept up behind.
By lap 10, Cluzel was facing mind blowing pressure in the lead, with Cortese not even a tenth of a second behind. But two, three, four laps went by, and the championship leader, with better pace, couldn’t find his moment to attack – or chose not to. His moment came in the final lap: turn three saw the German move in front, but a wide line allowed Cluzel to push in around the outside of turn four. Again the pair clashed, with Cluzel managing to just squeeze out in front, and hold his lead until the checkered flag. A third win of the season for Cluzel, who emerges from the Czech round as the clear contender to Cortese’s championship lead.
With De Rosa drifting behind in the final laps, and managing his fourth consecutive podium, there was more action at the back. With Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) claiming fourth place over Krummenacher at the end, as well as the fastest lap of the race.
Thomas Gradinger (NRT) completed an excellent Sunday for the NRT team with his best result of the campaign in sixth. Another frantic battle in the middle of the pack between Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing) and Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda), with the veteran Australian edging ahead of the new CIA Landlord rider for seventh place. Behind, Eerneli Lahti (Sterkman Motorsport by HRP) took his first top-10 finish of the campaign in ninth, scoring vital points for the FIM Europe Supersport Cup.
Can the championship battle get any closer? There’s four weeks until the WorldSSP riders go back on track at Misano, and it’s set to be electrifying.
P1 – Jules Cluzel (NRT)
“It was really hot! I think everybody enjoyed, but me not so much because I expected him to make the pass. But I give everything until the last lap, it was a close fight and this time I was struggling with the rear grip, I am not sure if Cortese also was. I just tried to do my best on the last lap, and I tried to close the door. I have a big mark on my leathers from when we touched, but it was funny and I think everybody enjoyed it.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Mixed Fortunes for GRT Yamaha in Brno
Race
The seventh round of the 2018 World Supersport Championship proved a day of mixed fortunes for the GRT Yamaha Official WSSP Team this afternoon at the Autodrom Brno in the Czech Republic. 2017 World Champion Lucas Mahias was able to secure fourth position but teammate Federico Caricasulo was left frustrated having crashed out early in the race. Fellow GRT Yamaha rider Alfonso Coppola made good progress to finish in 14th.
The Brno weekend has been a challenging experience for defending champion Mahias from the beginning. The Frenchman has struggled with the team to find the optimum set up on his YZF-R6 and knew today would not be an easy fight. Initially in sixth in the first lap, Mahias managed to move forward a little, then was helped by teammate Caricasulo crashing out in the second lap. Establishing himself in fourth he worked hard to keep Randy Krummenacher at bay behind him, and the podium battle in view in front. He was unable to get into the front group, but held fourth until the line.
Coppola had a frustrating start to his Brno race from pitlane. Beginning his attack from 29th at the back of the pack he was undeterred. The rookie put his head down and put in an incredible ride, passing a huge number of riders to cross the finish line in the points in 14th position.
Italian Caricasulo’s race was definitely one to forget. A positive start saw him just ahead of teammate Mahias in the opening lap, before almost immediate disaster as he crashed out in the stadium section on turn 8 of the second lap. Caricasulo had chosen a different front tyre to try to find more grip later in the race, but unfortunately was not able to exploit it.
Today’s race results put Lucas Mahias into fourth in the championship standings on 103 points. Federico Caricasulo remains on 79 points, now in sixth position. Alfonso Coppola’s performance adds a point to put him on 2, and sits him in 24th.
GRT Yamaha continue to lead the team standings with 182 points, 22 clear of rivals NRT and Yamaha lead the manufacturer standings with 175 points, 92 clear of MV Augusta.
Lucas Mahias – GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team 2018
“Today was again a difficult race for me, before starting I knew it would be like this because I knew we had a problem with lack of speed. It was difficult to follow the other riders, I pushed a lot in the beginning, but when the tyre started to slide I lost the edge and knew I couldn’t push harder. I’m a little happy because I pushed at the end to keep Krummenacher behind and I won that battle. I am very confident for Misano because will have some updates that we are working on together and I’m confident we can arrive at the podium.”
Federico Caricasulo – GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team 2018
“Nothing to say about today for me, I tried to put another front tyre to be better in the last laps of the race, but in the beginning I was struggling to stay with the front group and I crashed. I am looking forward now to Misano with positivity as we will have a new technical set up to help us get in front.”
Alfonso Coppola
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team
“The race was fantastic, I was unhappy to start on the pit lane, but I controlled myself. It was very important to pass as many riders as possible in this moment. Now I can relax and study and look forward to Misano and work towards the next step, the top ten. Thanks to GRT and Yamaha for fantastic work, the bike is very top level!”