Race Results Presented by Fastrack Riders: 
FIM Supersport World Championship
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Imola, Italy
May 14, 2017
Race Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (Kaw ZX-6R), 11 laps, Total Race Time 20:36.422, Best Lap Time 1:51.953
2. Lucas MAHIAS, France (Yam YZF-R6), -0.438 second, 1:51.795
3. PJ JACOBSEN, USA (MV Agusta F3 675), -1.573 seconds, 1:52.025
4. Sheridan MORAIS, South Africa (Yam YZF-R6), -8.405, 1:52.514
5. Kyle SMITH, UK (Hon CBR600RR), -9.181, 1:52.802
6. Jules CLUZEL, France (Hon CBR600RR), -9.474, 1:52.483
7. Christian GAMARINO, Italy (Hon CBR600RR), -12.979, 1:52.958
8. Loris CRESSON, Belgium (Yam YZF-R6), -16.665, 1:52.840
9. Hikari OKUBO, Japan (Hon CBR600RR), -16.966, 1:53.209
10. Alessandro ZACCONE, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), -17.957, 1:53.194
World Championship Point Standings (after 5 of 12 races):
1. Mahias, 85 points
2. Morais, 58
3. Jacobsen, 55
4. Sofuoglu, 50
5. Roberto Rolfo, 41
6. Cluzel, 39
7. Kyle Ryde, 36
8. Federico Caricasulo, 35
9. Niki Tuuli, 27
10. Gamarino, 25
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More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
WorldSSP: Sofuoglu stuns in WorldSSP sprint
World Champion takes second successive victory, whilst Mahias and Jacobsen also make the podium
In a delayed and shortened WorldSSP race on Sunday afternoon at the Motul Italian Round World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) took the win, using all his experience to beat Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) and PJ Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), who both joined him on the podium.
Having missed the first two rounds of 2017 due to a training injury and then crashing out on his comeback at Aragon, Sofuoglu built on his Assen victory with a second consecutive triumph in this 11-lap sprint to claw back five points on championship leader Mahias.
Frenchman Mahias remains at the head of the standings following his second place finish, a fourth podium result of the year so far for the Yamaha man. Pole man Jacobsen crossed the line just behind Sofuoglu and Mahias in third, but he was never really able to challenge the leading pair for victory.
The top five also included Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing) and Kyle Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini), with South African rider Morais around seven seconds off the podium and eight tenths of a second in front of Smith.
Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda), Christian Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing), Loris Cresson (SC Racing-RPM84), Hikari Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) and Alessandro Zaccone (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) were all in the top ten.
Indeed in tenth place Zaccone was the leading FIM Europe Supersport Cup finisher, ahead of Hannes Soomer (WILSport Racedays) in 16th and Rob Hartog (Team Hartog – Jenik – Against Cancer) in 17th.
Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) retired with technical problems, with smoke pouring from his MV Agusta F3 675 machine, whilst there were crashes for the likes of Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing) and Kyle Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing).
The WorldSSP race finally took place after WorldSBK Race 2 following an initial race start delay and two interrupted races earlier in the day – due to red flags after incidents had left debris and oil on track. Due to the rescheduling of the race it was shortened from an original 17-lap length to 11 circulations of the Imola track.
The riders will be back in action over the 26th-28th May weekend at the UK’s Donington Park circuit.
Race Winner – Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
“It was not easy with many red flags. Finally for the race I had no new tyre left, I told myself no excuse, no complaint and I worked very hard to stay in front and push the whole race. I am very happy, and very happy for the team at their home round.”
More, from a press release issued by CIA Landlord Insurance Honda:
Cluzel Sixth & Okubo back in Top Ten at Imola
Round Five of the World Supersport Championship from Imola finally got underway this afternoon after the World Superbike Race 2 following an initial delayed start then a further two red flags due to incidents and resulting track conditions.
CIA Landlord Insurance Honda’s Jules Cluzel had a disappointing result in the shortened to 11-lap race after he was swamped in the first corner of the first lap. He said: “I am really disappointed with this weekend. On Friday I tried to get in the race pace really quickly and I did so we were really happy. In the afternoon we tried to make some improvements and then I crashed. I started to lose confidence so that was not a good session. In qualifying we were close to the time but not close enough. Today the race was crazy. Everybody was so excited and the problem when you start mid group you are in the middle of everybody so I lost a lot of time at the start. I didn’t make a bad start but I was blocked and someone nearly crashed in front of me. I just tried to finish the race without mistakes. Sixth is some points but the target is to be leading and to try to catch points from the Championship so I am disappointed.”
Hikari Okubo secured another top ten finish in 9th which was the tonic he needed after the disappointment of the last round at Assen where he finished 21st and he goes into the next round at Donington Park with renewed confidence.
Robin Mulhauser had been looking forward to capitalising on the near perfect weather conditions in Italy to regain his pace but the Swiss rider had to settle for 18th position after struggling all weekend.
Imola first-timer, Hiromichi Kunikawa put in a solid, confidence boosting performance to finish in the top twenty at the technical and demanding circuit.
CIA Landlord Insurance Team Manager, Simon Buckmaster said: “Sixth is not where we want to be. It’s a disappointing result for Jules and the team. We have already discussed this and we all know we need to make it happen. We now go to Donington Park; a good circuit for our bike and I am sure we will be fighting hard at the front with Jules. Hikari regained his confidence and put in another good top ten finish. I’m happy for him and his crew. Despite struggling here Robin stuck to his task and will come back stronger next round. First time in the top 20 for Hiromichi which is a good confidence boost for him as he learns all the tracks”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Forty WorldSSP Wins For Sofuoglu
Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) added another new all-time statistic to his glittering WorldSSP career with an unprecedented 40th race win – his second race victory in succession in 2017. Kyle Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) suffered some misfortune today and fell in his attempt to score championship points.
The WorldSSP race at Imola was delayed to start, then red flagged twice and subsequently postponed until after the Sunday WorldSBK race had been completed.
The fifth race of the year was also shortened to 11-laps but for Sofuoglu none of these potential problems finally mattered in a race that he won by just under half a second from championship leader Lucas Mahias.
Kenan’s 40th race victory, over a career that has included five WorldSSP championships, was also his 80th podium placing from a total of 119 race starts. Kenan has taken 23 of his race wins on a Kawasaki.
Having fallen heavily earlier in the weekend teenager Ryde was to crash on the first lap of the final restart. Michael Canducci (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI Kawasaki) finished in the points at his home round, in 14th place. In the championship Ryde is seventh overall, Canducci 11th.
The championship fight now goes to the sixth round of the season, at Kyle’s home round of Donington Park, with raceday on Sunday 28th May.
Kenan Sofuoglu, stated: “My fortieth WorldSSP race win was not easy especially as the many red flags gave us a hard time. Finally for the race I had no new rear tyres left to use. But I told myself ‘no excuses, no complaints’ just go for the win. I worked very hard to stay at the front with a good pace. I am especially happy for the team because it is an Italian round and therefore a home round for them. I am also very happy for Kawasaki because this was a good result.”
Kyle Ryde, stated: “Not our best day because we got no points but we had a more positive day on Saturday. Then I managed to get into Superpole 2 straight away, but unfortunately we had three restarts today which meant I had to choose the less favoured tyre option. I thought it would be OK for ten or eleven laps but even on the first lap the track temperature was too hot to use this tyre. I then had a small crash, with no injuries. Now I have to go to Donington – and try to beat Kenan!”
One place behind Canducci, Gino Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) was 15th today, with ESS rider Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Jenik Against Cancer Kawasaki) 17th and Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) 19th. Nacho Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) placed 21st but Kazuki Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) did not score.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Mahias on Fire as he Scores Scorching Second at Imola
Race
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team’s Lucas Mahias recorded his fourth podium of the season on Sunday at Imola, extending his championship lead to 27 points in the process. Round five of the 2017 FIM Supersport World Championship saw multiple red flags, restarts and delays, but undeterred the French rider secured second, while his teammate Federico Caricasulo unfortunately had to retire from the race.
Championship leader Mahias arrived in Imola with a 20-point advantage, determined to fight for the podium. The French rider pulled out all the stops in qualifying to start the race from second on the grid. Unfortunately, the original race was red-flagged on the very first lap. Then in the re-started race, once again the red flag brought a halt to proceedings, this time on the fourth lap, with the re-scheduled 11-lap race delayed until after WorldSBK race two.
Remaining focused, Mahias immediately got the holeshot from the re-start and led up until the fourth lap, when Kenan Sofuoglu overtook him. Determined not to give up the race win without a fight, Mahias fought all the way to the line with Sofuoglu, eventually deciding not to take any dangerous risks and securing second place. He finished just 0.438s behind the race winner, but more importantly secured 20 points and extended his advantage in the championship standings to 27 points.
His teammate Caricasulo had a day of bad fortune, first a crash in Warm Up saw him re-break his injured collar bone and then a technical issue on the warm up lap for the original race meant he could not line up on the grid for the start. After the first red flag, he was allowed to start the re-scheduled race, but an incorrect start procedure led to a ride-through penalty. Unfortunately, the appearance of the second red flag before he could serve this meant it would be carried over to the re-scheduled 11-lap race. The Italian tried his best to open a gap before he came in for the penalty, but decided after re-joining in 30th place and with no chance of scoring points that it was not worth making his injury worse so he retired on lap 8.
The GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team will be back in action at Donington Park on the 26-28th May.
Lucas Mahias
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team
“I am happy with the race even it if it was a bit strange to have to start it three times, which made it very difficult, but I am happy because it is a very good result for the championship. The race was strange, normally you have 17 laps, but today we only had 11 laps, which made it harder for me as I am fast on the older tyre. That meant we had to come up with a very different strategy for this race. It was possible to fight with Kenan, not win, but definitely fight! This is the first time I have finished a race at Imola, so overall I am very happy. Consistency is key, my target is the championship and after Kenan missed the first race, it is very important to always be on the podium. The new R6 is fantastic, between myself and Federico we have been on the podium in every single race. Now I look forward to Donington!”
Federico Caricasulo
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team
“It was impossible to get a good result today. It was a very unlucky day, I actually crashed today on my own oil in Warm Up, re-breaking my collarbone and completely destroying my bike. My performance in the race was a result of this. If you have a ride through penalty in an 11-lap race, it is impossible to take points. I made some laps after the penalty, just to collect data. I wasn’t pushing and I didn’t want to damage my shoulder any further so I decided to retire. It is annoying, because every race my shoulder has been getting better, but this weekend I crashed and injured it again. I will try and start from zero again at Donington.”
Fillippo Conti
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team Manager
“It is a bit strange because we are very happy on one side of the garage, and on the other side we are a little bit frustrated. For Lucas, the second place was very, very important. We have increased the lead in the standings and that is important for the Championship. Lucas said he had the potential to fight with Kenan, but he didn’t want to take any risks for the championship. That just shows how intelligent he is and how he is ready to be a World Champion. We had a technical problem with Federico’s bike on the warm up lap, we tried to fix it and I am very happy with all the team as they worked incredibly hard to get the bike ready in time. It was unfortunate that Federico’s ride through penalty carried over from the red-flagged race, as it was impossible to make up that time in an 11-lap race, and he didn’t want to take any risks. Therefore, it was smart of him to retire. Now we must try and make another step to arrive at Donington and fight for the win.”
More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:
CAMIER CRASHED WHEN HE WAS 2ND IN RACE2 AT IMOLA, WHILE PJ JACOBSEN GET ANOTHER PODIUM IN WORLDSSP AND ZACCONE WINS THE ESS RACE
The WorldSBK race weekend at Imola ends with a very bad luck for Leon Camier, who suffered a crash while he was in 2nd position of Race2. In WorldSSP Patrick Jacobsen completes the excellent race weekend with a podium in the afternoon race, while Alessandro Zaccone got the victory in the ESS class, by arriving 10° in overall chart.
WorldSBK – WarmUp, Race2
In the early morning Warmup, Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse mechanics made some changes to the Camier’s bike setting, looking for a stronger grip on the Schiranna’s F4 RC machine. The results have repaid for this job, considering Camier set the 4th position in the Warmup with a 1’47.246 lap time, less than 0.5s far from the podium.
Race2 was interrupted for red-flag because some oil on track due to a crash after only one lap. At the new start Camier is very fast and takes the 2nd place, focusing on getting close to the race leader Tom Sykes. Unfortunately, Leon lost the front of the bike during lap 3 when he was approaching the Acqua Minerali turn, giving up from a Top5 final position race.
WorldSSP – Warmup, Race
The WorldSSP race, which started with several minutes of delay due to the crash of Badovini in the warmup lap, was subsequently declared red flag for another two times, always due to crashes on track during the first lap; definitely a bad luck for the rider, like the MV Agusta Reparto Corse ones, that chose the softer tire.
The race will restart after the WorldSBK Race2, with Patrick Jacobsen starting from the pole position and closing in 3rd place, getting a pole and a podium in the first home race for his squad.
Alessandro Zaccone closes in 10th place in WorldSSP (1st in the ESS class) despite a strong pain at his shoulder caused by a crash during the qualifying session.
Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK – It is of course a big, big disappointment. My pace was fast and my bike’s setting from the warmup was really good. We made some little change to fit the bike to the race conditions and I felt the setting was absolutely good, so I tried to push hard and hold my second position but then I crashed and it was over. I want stay positive because we showed a really good pace this weekend and I look forward to the next race in Donington.
Patrick “PJ” Jacobsen #99 WorldSS – I am honestly really happy for this result, especially considering today it was a difficult race and the pace was really fast. The guys did an impressive job with the bike and I can’t thank my team enough, it has been amazing get a podium here in Imola, in the MV Agusta’s home track. Now let’s move on to Donington and try to get another podium.
Alessandro Zaccone #61 ESS – All in all I am very happy about this 10th place in the WorldSSP championship, both because it is the best seasonal result so far and, above all, considering the difficult physical conditions in which I ran today. The shoulder problem strongly affected me throughout the race and if it was not for the pain, I’m sure I could do much better, because the bike here was really fast.