Sunday WorldSBK/SSP/300/WCR round ups from Jerez

WorldSBK 2024 – Round 12
Jerez– Sunday

WorldSBK Superpole Race

All eyes were on Razgatlioglu and Bulega for the Sunday morning Superpole Race, and with nothing to lose after claiming the title on Saturday, the Turk was looking to take the win. Both riders were strong from lights out, riding level into the first corner, but it was Bulega who led the field out of the exit of turn one, with Lowes close on their tails. The 28-year-old Turkish rider soon took control however, as he overtook his slowest rival of the year, and moved into first position with nine laps remaining.

An unfortunate start to the day for the HRC garage as both of their Spanish riders, Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) crashed out of the top ten rankings on turn six on the second lap of the race. Lecuona was taken to the medical centre following the incident and was declared unfit for the afternoon race with a displaced fracture of his left 5th metatarsal bone.

At half race distance, Bulega found some increased race pace, managing to overtake Razgatlioglu into first position, and soon gapped the BMW rider who was unable to respond. The order remained much the same until the final stages of the race, where a last lap battle for a points position between Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Switzerland’s Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), saw the Ducati rider come out on top and claim P9.

With Bulega, Razgatlioglu and Lowes completing the rostrum at the chequered flag, it was a strong ride from Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) who took fourth ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and BMW’s Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in fifth and sixth.

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) led Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) over the line to claim seventh and eighth, whilst Alvaro Bautista pipped Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) to ninth.

WorldSBK Superpole Race Results

WorldSBK Race Two

The final race of the 2024 WorldSBK season at Jerez on Sunday afternoon saw newly crowned Champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) seal his remarkable season with a victory. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was aiming for a triple win but was denied it by the Turk, as Dutchman Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed the final spot on the Spanish podium.

The second race of the day got underway under clear blue skies at Jerez, and it was Bulega who scored the hole shot off the line, closely followed by Razgatlioglu and Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in third.

Eager to achieve his first win of the Spanish weekend, Ragatlioglu overtook Bulega on lap three into Turn 1, whilst the battle for third spot saw three riders abreast as they battled for a podium result. Van der Mark won that battle for the rostrum as Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) tried to chase him down.

Andrea Locatelli rode a strong opening race, catching the podium group, however a block pass from Lowes whilst they battled for fourth saw the Italian run out wide onto the track, losing positions, and ending up in sixth on lap four of the race.

2023 World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) ran wide when fighting within the top six, falling to tenth. He managed to recover as a few laps passed, however then crashed out of contention on lap 10. A near crash for Iannone also at the halfway point saw him demoted to sixth as he clipped the rear tyre of van der Mark whilst attempting to take third position, but both remained upright.

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Back at the front and with seven laps of race distance remaining, Bulega found some late race pace and closed the gap on Razgatlioglu, but the BMW rider proved too strong, the #11 Ducati rider unable to find a way of getting through to take first position.

Iannone managed to recover from his earlier mistake, taking fourth position ahead of Lowes, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and BMW’s Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW).

The 20-lap race was to be unexpectedly cut short with four laps remaining as Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) suffered a technical issue when his bike poured smoke and potential fluid on the track, with the race red-flagged and declared as a full result as more than two-thirds distance had been completed.

As a result Razgatlioglu took the win, with Bulega in second and Michael van der Mark completing the rostrum.

Andrea Iannone led Lowes and Petrucci across the chequered flag to complete the top six, whilst Gerloff and Locatelli claimed seventh and eighth.

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Italian Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) completed the top ten.

WorldSBK Race Two Results

WorldSBK Standings

WorldSSP Race Two

Turkish rider Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) demonstrated a lightning launch from lights out as he led the field into the opening sectors of the Spanish circuit. His lead was to be short lived however as he crashed at Turn 9; suffering a low-side into the entry of the corner, making way for Manzi to move into the lead, as Debise and Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) tried to hunt him down.

With 12 laps of race distance remaining, just a second covered the leading trio, whilst further back it was Bendsneyder and Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) battling it out for a top four ranking.

Just a few laps later however, Caricasulo crashed out of contention on turn six, with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) taking advantage of his mistake and moving up to sixth ahead of Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura).

As the final laps approached, Bendsneyder found some late race place, closing the gap on Huertas and overtaking him to move into a rostrum position, with the newly crowned WorldSSP Champion unable to respond.

As the chequered flag came out, it was Manzi who stormed across the line to end his perfect weekend with two out of two race wins, shortly followed by Debise and Bendsneyder who claimed his maiden podium result.

Stefano Manzi – P1

“The race was super tight today! At the beginning, it was quite easy to stay in the lead. Starting from the front row I got a good start with the clutch. I was in P1 by the end of first lap and my rhythm was good. I was able to build a gap, but after that I started to struggle a bit. The riders behind closed and I couldn’t break away. It felt like someone was right behind me in every corner! It was really close. In the end, I managed to win, and it’s fantastic to finish the season like this. This is the last race with the R6 and winning is a great way to honour the bike.”

Newly crowned World Champion, Huertas maintained a solid fourth position as he led Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Navarro over the line to round of the top six finishers.

Frenchman Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) finished seventh, ahead of Montella and Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) in eight and ninth, whilst Simone Corsi (Renzi Corse) completed the top ten on Sunday.

A disappointing end to the season for the Aussie contingent with Oli Bayliss the only finisher in 16th.  Bayliss ranked 14th for the season with 76-points.

Oli Bayliss

“We were able to make some good progress in day one after a change that allowed me to improve the grip for qualifying and got closer timewise to the frontrunners. We had a good warm up on Saturday and went into the race with good sensations. We had a good start and made up several positions, but the front-end started to slide and couldn’t get the bike stopped at the last corner, and then lost the front at turn two the following lap. Race two was challenging and I wish finished the year off with a better result, but I struggled a lot with rear grip from the start. Thank you to my team for all they’ve done for me and believing in me over the past two years and been with me through some of the toughest time in my career. I got a lot of help behind the scenes in our home life, and I can’t thank them enough. Big thank you to my sponsors and supporters for everything they’ve done for me.”

Countrymen Tom Edwards and Luke Power only contested the European rounds with Tom Edwards amassing a 40-point haul to finish second in the WorldSSP Challenge behind hugely experienced Italian Simone Corsi.

Tom Edwards

“Despite the progress made on day one, unfortunately we were unable to capitalise in qualifying. In race one I struggled to get up to speed. Unfortunately, in race two, another rider made contact which forced me to go straight into the gravel and that was it for the day. This season with D34G has been one of the highlights of my career so far. Being under the leadership of Davide has helped me develop so much as a rider and I have to thank him and the whole team for giving me this opportunity. I’d like to also thank our team sponsors and my personal sponsors. Wish we could have finished on a high but there is still so much to be proud of from this season!”

Luke Power was third in the WorldSSP Challenge with his entire six-point tally earned at Assen early in the season.

Luke Power

“The 2024 season is over and what a year it has been. It wasn’t the finish to the year that I expected or wanted as unfortunately a small technical problem meant I was limited on laps in FP1 in Jerez on Friday and a crash in qualifying affected my grid position as I wasn’t able to complete any further laps. With race one on Saturday the first time I did more than five consecutive laps it took me a while to get up to speed but I was able to have a good battle and finish fourth in the WorldSSP Challenge and was again inside the top twenty overall. After the result on Saturday, I was confident for Sunday’s race, and I was hopeful of being in the fight for the points – which I was. I am proud that I was able to improve my pace by over a second a lap compared to Saturday despite having moments on the bike as I continued to adapt during the race. Sadly, with a handful of laps to go I had a small crash whilst chasing a top fifteen – points scoring position – which ended my race. There are plenty of positives to take away from the season. I want to thank the entire Motozoo ME AIR Racing team and I’m sorry for the late nights I gave them at times. I want to thank all the people supporting me back home in Australia, the fans at the track who stopped to take photos and wished me well, DORNA for putting on an amazing championship which I am proud to be a part of. I want to thank my manager for his countless hours of hard work and everything he does for me and finally my mum and dad for all their sacrifices and everything they have done and are doing to see me follow my dream of becoming a world champion. See you all next year, here’s to an amazing 2025!

WorldSSP Race Two Results

WorldSSP Championship Points

WorldSSP300 Race Two

Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) needed just four points to secure the title in Race 2, and the Indonesian ensured he was in the lead group throughout the 11-lap race. It was unpredictable as ever to end the year as title rival Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) finished one place ahead of Mahendra, but with the Dutchman needing to win and results to go his way, the title heads to Indonesia in the hands of Mahendra with his P6 finish.

There was also history for race winner Julio Garcia as his last-lap move gave him the advantage ahead of Antonio Torres (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) on the run down to the chequered flag. Garcia was able to resist the replacement rider’s pressure on the long run to the finish line to take his first victory in WorldSSP300, and the first for Chinese manufacturer Kove in the class in their second season.

P1 | Julio Garcia Gonzalez | Kove Racing

“I’m really happy because this is my first win in WorldSSP300! To take this win at my home round is amazing. It’s a really special moment for me and my team. Everyone has worked so hard all season and I’m really happy for Kove. The team did a fantastic job and we had both riders on the podium. I’m really happy with how we finished the season and can’t wait to continue next season with the team and Marc Garcia as my teammate!”

The podium was completed by Torres in second and the other Kove rider, Marc Garcia, as the Chinese brand put two bikes on the podium.

Race 1 winner David Salvador (MS Racing) came home in fourth as he capped off a strong weekend by just missing out on a rostrum, although he did complete Spain’s first 1-2-3-4 since Magny-Cours in 2018.

The two title contenders, Veneman and Mahendra, finished in fifth and sixth with Pepe Osuna (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) in seventh. The Spaniard had crossed the line in eighth but a one-place penalty for Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) for causing a collision at Turn 12 with Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) promoted Osuna into P7. Gennai was taken to the medical centre for a check up and diagnosed with a right hand contusion and left shoulder contusion.

Aldi Mahendra – 2024 WorldSSP300 Champion

“I’m so happy. My dream since I was a child to be World Champion. When I saw my brother Galang race in WorldSSP300 and WorldSSP I thought that ‘I want to be like him.’ Now I’m a World Champion and it’s incredible for me, my family, and everyone. I’m also the first-ever Indonesian champion, and that feels amazing! I can’t wait for next year as I’ll move up to WorldSSP with Yamaha!”

Pratama was classified in eighth ahead of Gonzalo Sanchez (Arco Sash Motor University Team) and Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing who completed the top ten. Double Champion Buis had to take a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start, but still secured a top-ten finish.

Emiliano Ercolani (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) was just 0.035s away from a place in the top ten as he led home a trio of Italian riders. Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) was 12th, a tenth behind Ercolani, while Elia Bartolini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) was 13th. Philipp Tonn secured 14th and Humberto Maier (MS Racing) completed the points-paying positions.

It was disasppointment for Carter Thompson with the Aussie youngster crashing out after five laps, however, he demonstrated once again podium pace in the race and his outright speed with pole position.

WorldSSP300 Race Two Results

WorldSSP300 Championship Points

WorldWCR Race Two

A podium finish in the final race of the year at Jerez was enough to secure Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) the inaugural WorldWCR crown. Knowing that the slightest mistake could jeopardise her title chances today, Ana focused on running a clean race. Lying fifth with three laps to go, Carrasco was able to gain ground on the very last lap to secure third place, and an incredibly well-deserved 2024 championship win. Carrasco was the only rider to reach the podium in every one of the season’s twelve races, the 27-year-old amassing 4 wins, 8 podiums, 2 pole positions, as well as 4 best laps.

With a 13-point deficit as the race got underway, title contender Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) had everything to gain and nothing to lose in this final showdown.

The winner of Saturday’s Race 1, Maria set out to repeat that performance on Sunday, knowing that nothing short of a race win would do. Leading the race for a time, it all came down to the last few corners. Pushing hard to get back in front, Herrera ultimately came into contact with Sanchez on the very last lap, her race brought to an end when she crashed at Turn 13.

Despite the Race 2 outcome, Herrera is a very worthy championship runner-up. The 28-year-old put in a sensational performance this season, scoring the highest number of race wins (6), plus three additional podiums. She also received the Tissot Superpole Award, having achieved pole position at three of the six rounds.

It was Sunday’s polesitter Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) who took victory in this final race of the season, but it was no easy task. In arguably the most hard-fought race of the season, a group of five riders ultimately battled it out for the podium positions today, the four championship frontrunners joined by Italian Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team).

Slipping to sixth in the early stages, Sara had her work cut out but got the job done, crossing the line first to secure her second win of the season, as well as third place in the championship standings. Sanchez has collected 2 race wins, 8 additional podiums, a pole position and the Pirelli Best Lap Award over the course of the season.

On the podium already on Saturday, Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) put in a repeat performance in Race 2. In the mix from start to finish, Neila fought hard to cross the line just 0.3 of a second behind race winner Sanchez, taking her fourth podium and enough points to finish P4 in the championship. A very consistent Neila was able to score a top five finish in every race this year.

Ponziani put together a fantastic final race, arguably her best of the season, to cross the line P4 today after battling long and hard for the podium. The points scored this weekend ensure the Italian of fifth place in the general standings.

Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) placed fifth in Race 2, just as she did in Saturday’s race. Securing P6 in the general standings, Ruiz was one of just three riders, along with Neila and Carrasco, to take points in every one of the season’s twelve races.

Wildcard Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) was straight up into the top five when the race got underway Unfortunately, she received a double long penalty for having made a jump start, but despite this the Brit was able to finish P6 and score important championship points in her debut WorldWCR round.

Seventh across the line in Race 2, Australian Tayla Relph (Tayco Motorsport) completes this inaugural WorldWCR season as the top ranked non-European rider, seventh in the championship standings.

Rounding out the top ten in the final Jerez race were Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno), Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team), and Isis Carreno (AD78 FIM Latinoamerica by Team GP3).

P1 | Sara Sanchez | 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team

“It was a different kind of race today as the leading group was so big! To start with I was a little cautious as there were so many of us but with a few laps to go, I realised I needed to react if I wanted to reach the podium and so started to push. I didn’t see Maria but realized that there was contact and that she had crashed. I’m so sorry as that’s not the way anyone wanted it to finish but I don’t think I did anything wrong. I’m happy with the way we’ve finished the season though, and I want to thank the entire team for all their amazing work this year. We finish third overall, so I’m very pleased with that.”

P2 | Beatriz Neila | Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha

“An amazing race. I tried my best and was able to finish second today. Honestly, I feel that my season is only starting right now, as I’m feeling in top condition and have run a really strong weekend. We’re finishing the year in a good position and think we have a good base on which to build next season. I’m very happy with my performance overall, as I was able to finish top five in every race and didn’t make any mistakes. I finish the season P4 overall, and I think I can be very pleased with that in our first season.”

World Champion (P3) | Ana Carrasco | Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team

“I didn’t really have a plan when the race began. I wanted to make the group smaller because I was a bit worried when I saw there were six of us all fighting and you never know what might happen. So, I couldn’t relax at all. When I saw Maria was attacking, I decided to sit behind the frontrunners and wait for the final laps. With two laps to go, I tried to pass them, but it was difficult along the back straight and I didn’t want to make a mistake. I was able to get past Ponziani through the last corner, and the result was enough for the title. It’s great to have finished every race on the podium, it’s been an incredible season! I think we’ve done a great job as a team, controlling every situation and putting in a very consistent performance. I’m really, really happy.”

Championship runner-up (DNF) | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team

“I did everything I could, this weekend and all season long. Yesterday I ran a perfect race and today I saw Ana was in fifth while I knew I could battle for the win. But in the end Sara slowed down too much through the last corner and I touched her rear tyre. I’m really disappointed because I really feel that I did all I could this year. I have to say thank you to the team for giving me the chance to start the season with everyone else. I battled for race wins and for the title and so I am happy about that, but of course sad that I was unable to win the championship.”

WorldWCR Race Two Results

WorldWCR Championship Points