WSBK Aragon Statistical Smorgasbord with Michele Merlino

Out of six races run here, Sylvain Guintoli was able to climb on the podium only last year, when he finished second twice, behind a dominating Chaz Davies. Sylvain always finished his races in Aragon in the points, however his only top-10 finishes are the aforementioned podiums.
Two unlucky races for Loris Baz last year, but both finished in good places though: in race one he made a bad start, dropping to ninth on the opening lap, but he was able to fight back, finishing fifth. In race two he had to start from the pits, but eventually managed a sixth at the flag. Loris wasn’t able to score points here in 2012, slowed down by gearbox problems in both races.
Marco Melandri is, together with Chaz Davies and Max Biaggi, one of the three riders who won here, posting his wins in 2011 in race one (from pole) and in 2012 in race two. Five podiums out of six: he missed the rostrum only last year in race two, when he was fifth, having to slow down due to pain in his arms, the consequences of the surgery he had beforehand.
Davide Giugliano last year hit the spotlight in the closing stages of race two, when he passed Melandri for fourth, lining up Sykes, without being able to reach him before the chequered flag. He was among the leaders also in race one, when he climbed from the tenth spot of the opening lap, up to third, but he ran out of gas a few meters from the finish line. Davide was eighth and tenth in the 2012 races and won the Superstock 1000 event in 2011 from Lorenzo Zanetti and Danilo Petrucci.
Up to 2012, Eugene Laverty’s results were top-notch: one podium out of four races (second in race two, 2012) and the other three races finished among the first six. Last year, a change in fortunes: he had a problem with an exhaust valve while leading in race one, and highsided in race two on the second turn, right after taking the lead.
The strong point of Tom Sykes in Aragon is qualifying: he was the poleman in the last two editions. Less luck in the races: he retired once a year, climbing on the podium only in race two last year, when he was third behind Davies and Guintoli. Last year he inherited the lead in race one after Laverty’s retirement when he was in turn sidelined for a mechanical problem.
As per Phillip Island, Aragon is one of the few tracks in which Jonathan Rea wasn’t able to climb on the podium. He raced here in 2012 and 2013, finishing fourth in race one last year and fifth in race two in 2012. In the other two races he was victim of a brake problem last year and collided with Jakub Smrz two years ago.
Chaz Davies last year dominated both races from third, posting also his maiden fastest lap in race two. Chaz was able to climb on the podium also two years ago with Aprilia in race two: his maiden podium, third behind Melandri and Laverty and, surprisingly, ahead of Max Biaggi. Chaz always finished in the top-4 his four races here (fourth and third two years ago, winner in both races last year). Davies won also here the 2011 Supersport race from Sam Lowes and David Salom.
The last races at world-class level for David Salom here date back 2012, in Superbikes, when he retired for a mechanical problem in race one and was sixteenth in race two. He was third behind Chaz Davies and Sam Lowes in the 2011 Supersport race.
Niccolò Canepa raced in Superbikes here in 2012, when he was 17th and 11th with Ducati, but his best results in Aragon came in Superstock 1000, with a second behind Sylvain Barrier last year and a fourth in 2011. Niccolò raced here also in Moto2, finishing 26th in the 2010 event.
Leon Haslam always finished between sixth and ninth here, scoring as best result a sixth in race two in 2012, despite an off-track excursion. Curiously, Leon finished in ninth no less than four races here: both 2011 ones and both last year’s ones, when he was slowed down by brake problems.
Fabien Foret raced here every year, in the Supersport championship: seventh in 2011, second behind Sam Lowes two years ago and winner last year.
Last year Toni Elias wasn’t able to race in Aragon, as he left the Moto2 championship before the latter came to the track (29th of September) and joined the Superbike championship after this one had already raced here (14th of April). He didn’t run here in 2012 either, when he left his team in July and the Moto2 championship landed here in late September. Elias came back in MotoGP that season, but after the Aragon event. His last world-class race here is thus the 2011 MotoGP one, when he fell while running 14th. Toni Was fourth in the 2010 Moto2 race held in Aragon.
Sheridan Morais was third from second in grid in the 2012 Supersport race, behind Sam Lowes and Fabien Foret, while fell on the opening lap last year when he was starting fourth. For him also a Superstock 1000 race, in 2011, ended with a retirement.
Claudio Corti was fifteenth in last year’s MotoGP race and ninth in the Moto2 race of two years ago. He didn’t score points in the 2011 Moto2 race, finishing 19th, while he was eleventh in the 2010 one.
Three Superstock 1000 races for Jeremy Guarnoni in Motorland: 11th in 2011, he was second behind Bryan Staring two years ago and fourth last year.
Only one championship point in the Supersport championship in this track for Imre Toth: fifteenth in 2011, two retirements followed.
In last year’s Superstock 1000 race, Alessandro Andreozzi finished twelfth. He enjoyed less luck in the Moto2 championship, finishing 30th, last under the chequered flag, two years ago.
Peter Sebestyen was eighth in grid and in the race last year in the European Junior Cup.
Five top-10 finishes out of six races run here for Ayrton Badovini, whose best result in Aragon is an eighth in the first 2011 race, when he was the best BMW rider under the flag. He was racing for fourth in race one in 2012, when he fell, taking with him Tom Sykes.
The only race for Christian Iddon in Aragon came in Supersport last year, when he retired;
Leon Camier in 2011 was able to post his maiden front-row start in Aragon, qualifying third behind Melandri and Biaggi. He was third in race one behind the aforementioned duo and eighth in race two. In 2012 he was ninth in race one, retiring in race two for a mechanical problem, while last year he had to withdraw from the weekend after injuring his left knee in qualifying.

MANUFACTURERS

Aprilia won here one race in 2011 and one in 2012, thanks to Max Biaggi and, when they didn’t win, they were able to finish second in all the races run in Aragon. The high-profile set of results is underlined by the fact that all the Aprilias which finished the race, both works and satellite, always scored points. Aprilia is the manufacturer with most podiums in Aragon, eight, to BMW’s five. Last year the top-rider for Aprilia here was Sylvain Guintoli, second in both races. Curiously, in qualifying, the best-placed Aprilia was always second in all the three editions of the Aragon races (Biaggi in 2011-2012 and Laverty last year).
The BMW S 1000 RR is the most successful bike in Aragon, with three wins out of six races run (Melandri in 2012 race two and a double by Davies last year). They add to these wins only two podium places: a second by Melandri in race one in 2011 and a third, always by Marco in race one last year.
Only two podium places for Ducati in Aragon: two third places by Carlos Checa, in race two in 2011 and in race one in 2012. Since the second 2012 race, Ducati weren’t able to put a bike in the top-five at the finish and, last year, only Checa was able to qualify in the top-10 (10th).
Aragon gave little so far to Honda, which never climbed on the podium here. The best results came from Jonathan Rea: a fourth in race one last year and a sixth in grid in 2012. Rea is the only Honda rider to have started from the top-10 here.
Only one podium place for Kawasaki in Aragon: it came last year, when Sykes finished third the second race, behind Davies and Giugliano. Thanks to Sykes, Kawasaki was the fastest bike in qualifying both last year and two years ago.
The best results for Suzuki came in the hands of Michel Fabrizio, fourth in race two in 2011 and Jules Cluzel, fifth in grid last year.