WorldSBK riders reflect on Misano race one plus WorldSSP/SSP300/WCR/R3 reports/results

WorldSBK 2024 – Round Four
Misano – Saturday

WorldSBK riders reflect on race one

Toprak Razgatlioglu – P1

“It was a very hard race for everyone with the hot conditions. There was less grip from the track. I used the hard front tyre and for the first part of the race it was ok but then I started to lose the front tyre. I want to thank my team for their hard work but it’s not over, we have two more races tomorrow. I’ll give my best tomorrow as my target is to win all three races this weekend!”

Nicolò Bulega – P2

“Unfortunately, the start wasn’t one my best. I immediately lost contact with the front guys and had to recover some positions. When I could make my way clear, I tried to push to catch Toprak. Towards half of the race, I thought I could catch him, but his pace was really incisive. We will try again tomorrow.”

Alvaro Bautista – P3

“It wasn’t an easy race for me. I got off the line well, but the feeling I had, especially with the front, did not allow me to push as I wanted to. Now, we will study the data to find a setup that will suit the higher temperatures expected for tomorrow.”

Andrea Locatelli – P4

“It was one of the best races we’ve had in Misano. We did well during the test, so I was sure that we could do a good race here and I believed in myself and the R1. From the beginning of the year we have made a lot of progress and we always try to make a step forward – we’ve done well here and it’s only Race 1! I believe that tomorrow we can do a little bit better, I would like to finish on the podium. It’s not so far, but it will not be easy because we know our competitors are strong. Let’s see, but the opportunity is there so we will try. We have a lot of support here from Yamaha, and I never feel any extra pressure here for my “home race” probably because Yamaha has become like my family. What we feel here in Misano this weekend is something positive, in the past Misano was probably not the best for my riding style but step-by-step and year-by-year I can probably adapt better with more experience, so what we did today was a step forward.”

Alex Lowes – P5

“We had a solid race. We know this track in these conditions can show some of our weakest points but I managed a lot more consistent race here than in the past. We are missing a little bit of feeling on the front and have a few areas to improve for tomorrow. More with the front, and especially when on the power – which is a little bit different from normal. But we had a solid race today, a solid effort, a good Superpole qualifying and we just need to work on a few areas to be ready for tomorrow.”

Remy Gardner – P6

“I had a fantastic start and I was feeling confident leading the race, unfortunately I struggled a bit with the front tyre and even though I tried to stay with the leading pack, I had to conserve my tyres to the end. It wasn’t too bad, but following the Superpole I was expecting a little bit more, but we can take it as a positive sign, it means we’re pushing for more and we’re aware of our potential. We’ll now check the data to improve our performance tomorrow.”

Andrea Iannone – P7

“Yesterday I felt a better feeling, today, as in previous rounds, with the higher temperatures it was more difficult. It went slightly better towards the end of the race, but we definitely need to review some details. We will work to try to improve in view of tomorrow and understand why there is a lack of grip in acceleration. We are still the first independent team, but we need to refine various aspects and try to fight higher.”

Danilo Petrucci – P9

“After yesterday, I didn’t think I would be able to finish the race, let alone be in the top ten. I practically raced with one arm (laughs). In fast right-hand turns, I lose half a second because I can’t hold the bike, and in braking, I have to help myself with my legs and the rear brake, but at that point, the bike vibrates a lot. The last five laps were very tough, especially mentally because I’m always in a state of alert and afraid of falling. This result shows that we have the speed, and I hope to return to the top 5, where we have always been, when I regain full functionality of my arm.”

Iker Lecuona – P10

“Finally, a proper race, despite some frustration during qualifying, which was the only session of the weekend so far where we struggled to maintain a positive trend. Not being able to exploit the Q-tyre has often been a weakness for us. I took risks with both soft tyres and encountered a small issue with the bike on my second flying lap, forcing me to slow down midway. Consequently, I had to start from further down the grid, but I knew my potential was better than that. The first lap was tough as I got caught in traffic after the first corner and dropped to about eighteenth position, but I managed to overtake five riders at turn four, so not a bad start to the race overall. I held onto thirteenth place behind Tito (Rabat) for some time until he noticed I had better pace and made me pass, which meant I was able to chase down Bassani. I pushed hard while also taking care to manage the tyres and succeeded in passing him on lap 18. Towards the end, I kept pushing to closing in on Danilo, but then I preferred to finish the race safely, with only a couple of laps to go. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to fight on track, enjoy overtaking, and have fun. So I’ll take this tenth place finish and work with the team to analyse the data collected today in order to hopefully make further improvements tomorrow, especially in terms of the front-end feeling”.

Axel Bassani – P11

“That was difficult today. We tried to push but the position at the moment is always the same, even though we are trying to improve. The first half of the race was quite good. I was having fun staying with the first few riders. After half race distance I started to be in trouble with the rear and then also with the front, which was always closing. I tried to manage things to arrive at the end inside the top ten but the last laps were too slow. It is difficult to race like this but the team is working hard to try to improve the bike, and the feeling with me on the bike. I hope to find something for tomorrow.”

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Michele Pirro – P13

“Unfortunately, qualifying didn’t go well, and as if that wasn’t enough, I had a little mishap at the start. I basically found myself last, and that’s why, in the end, the thirteenth place is a good result. All in all, I gained experience that I can use tomorrow.”

Xavi Vierge – P16

“Another challenging day this weekend, but with some positives to take away. While it’s true we’re still not fast enough, we’ve worked hard in the garage to improve the feeling and setup of the bike compared to yesterday. We’re still missing around half a second compared to the front runners, but we’re pushing hard and getting all we can from what we have. Unfortunately, in Race 1, I was hit by another rider on the first lap and crashed. I managed to recover, rejoin the race, and finish to gather valuable data for tomorrow. My pace was consistent, and I believe without the incident, we could have been fighting for a position somewhere between eighth and twelfth. For now, that’s our limit, so we need to stay focused and continue our efforts. Once again, I want to thank the entire team and everyone at HRC. Despite the challenges, everyone is doing their best, and we’ll keep forging ahead in this way.”

Adam Norrodin – P20

“We didn’t have the best qualifying. We improved on our lap time right away and were even quicker than we’d been in testing actually. I’m sure I could have done more on my final flying lap in qualifying but unfortunately, I nearly lost the front at turn 11 and so missed out on the chance to improve, which was a pity. The race wasn’t so bad, at least through the first six or seven laps, but then I started to struggle with the front. At least we completed the race, but we have many things to work through and understand ahead of tomorrow’s races.”

Jonathan Rea – DNF

“Really frustrated, because my race ended before it had begun. It was a knock-on effect from a bad qualifying, being in the middle of a mess in the first corners and then when things started stringing out in the fast section, I got quite close to Aegerter in the fast Turn 12 and just opened up the line a little bit to create some space but ran over the shoulder of the corner and to be honest from that moment, it was just a blur really – it was that fast. I went down and it felt like I was tumbling forever, but I’m so thankful to have good protection from Alpinestars and Arai – they kept me safe today, apart from a few bumps and bruises, but I should be good for tomorrow. The target is to try to get some good feeling tomorrow, make a good start and start finding some confidence.”

Sam Lowes – DNF

“It’s a bit frustrating to end Race 1 with a DNF because I had good pace and was managing the situation well and not too far away from the top six. But the conditions were incredibly hot, and I was struggling a little with the front tyre grip. I’ve never used the Pirelli rubber in such heat and with the track temperature not far away from 50 degrees it wasn’t an easy lesson to learn. I’m sorry to my crew because we were well on course for a solid top 10 and some good points, but the experience gained today can only help us in the future in the same situation. We’ll be better prepared if the conditions are as hot again tomorrow and hopefully I can come away with two strong finishes.”

Dominique Aegerter – DNF

“It was not our day at all. In the Superpole we went faster than last year but everyone made a big improvement and that made me start from P9. I tried to recover as many positions as I could, but unfortunately the start was not too good and I tried then to make my way through the field to gain places. Unluckily in the middle of the race I suffered a technical problem and had to retire. I’m sorry for that, but we’ll try to comeback stronger tomorrow starting with the Superpole Race, where we’ll try to win a better grid starting position for Race 2.”

Tarran Mackenzie – DNF

“We made a good step this morning in terms of lap time, and I felt good in qualifying. My best lap ended up getting cancelled, but I was happy anyway. We then made a small change for the race, but unfortunately this made a big difference to the feeling I had on the bike. This created a few problems, and I wasn’t comfortable riding at all. Tomorrow we’ll try something else and will hopefully have a better race!””

WorldSBK Race One Report

Once again, Toprak Razgatlioglu made all the difference on Saturday in Race 1 at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. “El Turco”, who started on pole following an epic Tissot Superpole session earlier in the day, initially surrendered his lead to Remy Gardner, but was able to regain it again as the laps wore on. Once at the front he never looked like relinquishing his advantage; the Turk stretched out a commanding advantage before crossing the line in P1.

Nicolo Bulega and reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) both enjoyed successful races, with both riders finishing P2 and P3 consecutively. Bulega, in particular, showed strong pace and stable consistency throughout Race 1, especially at the beginning. Reigning World Champion Bautista started to come on strong towards the end of the race, having struggled for pace in the opening laps of Race 1. Bautista has been vocal about his struggles in finding a consistent race setup for his Panigale V4 R; however, the reigning Champion will be hopeful that he has found something positive based off his late-race pace on Saturday.

A very interesting variety of riders was aptly represented at the end of Saturday’s Race 1. Yamaha, in particular, enjoyed a successful day on the Adriatic Coast, with both Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) securing P4 and P6 respectively. Gardner led early on before fading to sixth after his front-end grip went away.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) rounded out the top five. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team – Ducati) ensured strong representation for Ducati at their home round. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished in a respectable P8, whilst Iker Lecouna (Team HRC) secured an impressive top-ten finish.

It was a day to forget for Jonathan Rea after a disappointing Superpole qualifying session put him on the fifth row of the grid for Race 1, further compounded by a high-speed crash on the opening lap at Turn 13 that took the Northern Irishman out of the contention. Rea was lucky to escape with bruising to his left hand and right knee, and hopes to come back and find confidence again tomorrow.

Sam Lowes was forced to retire following a sliding crash towards the end of the race.

WorldSBK Race One Results

WorldSBK Superpole

WorldSBK Championship Points

WorldSSP Race One

With the FIM World Supersport Championship back in full swing, it was the turn of the middleweight class to take to the track for Race 1 action on Saturday. And it certainly did not disappoint. As has been the story of the season, Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) and Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) decided to fight it out between themselves to determine the race win, as well as the lead of the Championship.

Adrian Huertas continued his incredible start to the WorldSSP season by engaging in yet another all-action battle with title rival Yari Montella. The Spaniard stalked Montella around the track for nearly the entirety of the race, before starting to close in on his rival towards the final sector of the track. By the time the final corner came, Huertas capitalised on a slight slide by Montella to level his bike alongside the Italian and just pip him to the line. A truly exciting championship battle, indeed.

Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) rounded out the podium with a solid P3 performance.

Many of the Championship contenders rounded out the top six to continue their title ambitions. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros WorldSSP Yamaha Team) quietly continued his impressive season to date as he claimed P4, whilst Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) claimed a very solid P5 placing. German Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) completed the top six.

As has been the story of the weekend, it was an extremely competitive fight for the top ten. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) continued his impressive weekend by finishing P7, whilst long-touted prodigy Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team) picked up P8. Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) finished P9, and Glenn Van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) completed the top ten.

Also worth noting is the performance of Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team), who finished in P12. He was the highest-finishing WorldSSP Challenge rider. Countryman Luke Power went out of the race on lap three.

WorldSSP Race One Results

WorldSSP Championship Points

WorldSSP300 Race One

The action has firmly resumed in the FIM World Supersport 300 Championship, and Race 1 on Saturday delivered in spades. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) and Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) delivered a last lap battle for the ages, with the Spaniard pipping the Indonesian rider to the chequered flag by just seven-thousandths of a second.

In one of the closest race finishes in recent memory, Inigo Iglesias and Aldi Mahendra delivered a truly titanic last lap battle, one more than worthy of the occasion at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Swapping first place several times over the course of the last lap, Mahendra stole a march on Iglesias heading into the final sector, before Iglesias straightened up on the final straight in a drag race to the line. Iglesias’ momentum just nudged him ahead of Mahendra to pick up an epic win in Race 1. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) put together a very impressive performance to pick up a very solid P3, securing his place on the podium.

In an equally intense affair, Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) secured P4 with a rock-solid performance. P5 and P6 were rounded out by Spaniard Jose Osuna Saez (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) and reigning World Champion Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing), who both confirmed solid showings during the race.

Like the other battles at the top of the standings, the fight for the top ten was an intense affair. Dutchman Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) secured P7, whilst P8, P9 and P10 were all secured respectively by Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia), David Salvador (MS Racing) and Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse).

Elsewhere within the chaos of Race 1, there were several incidents and accidents amongst the grid, including some that could have huge implications in the WorldSSP300 title race. Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) and Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) were involved in a crash at turn 3, with Czech rider Svoboda later confirmed to have suffered a left lower leg displaced fracture. Most crucially, Championship leader Daniel Mogeda (Team #109 Retro Racing Kawasaki) was involved in two incidents; the first incident he was able to get away from, but the second one brought him down. A crash at turn 15 saw Mogeda’s Championship lead converted into a 19-point deficit.

Young Aussie wildcard Varis Fleming went out of the race early on.

WorldSSP300 Race One Results

WorldSSP300 Championship Points

World WCR Race One

Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) won the inaugural five-lap WorldWCR race at the Misano World Circuit overnight, setting a blistering pace and crossing the line just 0.067 of a second ahead of fellow Spaniard Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team).

Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) came out on top in the exciting battle for third, closing half a second ahead of Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team), fourth, and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha), fifth.

It was Spaniard Carrasco who set the fastest lap of the race, a 1’48.594 (lap four). This result means that she will start Sunday’s Race 2 from pole position.

The race came to a premature end for Lena Kemmer (Bertl K. Racing Team), Iryna Nadieieva (MPS.RT) and Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team), all of whom crashed but sustained no serious injuries.

It was a race of three parts, the original race red-flagged on lap six due to a serious incident for Mia Rusthen (Rusthen Racing) through Turn 16. Norwegian Rusthen has suffered a head injury with concussion and is currently receiving treatment at the Bufalini Trauma Centre in Cesena. The patient’s condition has been stabilised.

A second ‘heat’ was also red-flagged after Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) crashed on lap one. The South African rider has been diagnosed with concussion and was transported by helicopter to the Bufalini Trauma Centre. The rider is conscious.

Australian Tayla Relph was also caught up in an incident at the start of the race and was one of eight riders in the 26-rider field to not finish the race. Relph had started from 16th on the grid.

P1 | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Factory Team

“I’m so happy, not only to have won the first ever WorldWCR race, but also because we have been able to achieve this result after so much hard work over the last month. I didn’t even ride the bike until yesterday but I really wanted to win, so I pushed hard in every session and was also able to set pole, which came as a nice surprise. I had a great battle with Ana in the race; it was tough, and I was on the limit, but I was strong on the brakes. I still need to understand the bike more in order to be faster, but I’m working well with the team and am really pleased with what we’ve done so far.”

P2 | Ana Carrasco | Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team

“I’m pretty happy with today’s result, especially after the red flags earlier in the day. A race made up of only five laps is always difficult to manage and, in the end, I wasn’t quite able to win, but it was very close. I’ll try to improve a little ahead of tomorrow and go for the win in Race 2. This is my first race since last October so Maria has definitely had more race experience than me this season, and perhaps the sprint format suited her better today. Our pace was almost identical though, so I think we’re in for a similar race tomorrow. I think there were some nerves among the riders today, with this being the very first race in a new championship, but that’s to be expected I guess; I was nervous too!”

P3 | Sara Sanchez | 511 Terra&Vita Racing Team

“Today was not easy, not least because we started the race three times. I’m very happy to have reached the podium, also because the level is very high, but I want to keep improving so that I can try to win tomorrow. I lost time off the line today and then only had five laps in which to make up the lost ground. It was great to be there battling with Neila and Ponziani, but I think with a longer race tomorrow I can be more competitive, as long as I make a better start than I did in Race 1.”

World WCR Race One Results

World WCR Championship Standings

FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup Race One

Spain’s Gonzalo Sanchez took his fourth FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup victory of the season on Saturday, pulling a gap on the chasing pack to win by almost three seconds ahead of Marc Vich and Christian Pucci.

The field of 23 riders took to the San Marinese circuit during the hottest part of the day when air temperatures were at 31 degrees Celsius and track temperatures at 45 degrees. Japan’s Shoma Yamane made the initial launch from pole position, but he was quickly joined by Italian wildcard Gianmaria Ibidi and Sanchez. Before the end of the first lap, the 15-year-old Spaniard had made his move to the front, a position he held until the end of the 10-lap race. As Sanchez pulled away, a big group of riders fought it out for the remaining podium places.

Brazil’s Eduardo Burr had been in the fight but a double-long lap penalty due to a jump start pushed him down the order to 22nd, this initially left the fight to Marc Vich and Mario Salles, but the home riders were quick to climb through the order. Wildcard Pucci showed his strength throughout the race and went on to claim an impressive third place. Vich held on to an important second, which keeps him close to Sanchez in the championship standings. Alessandro di Persio pushed hard to set the fastest lap of the race, but narrowly missed out on the podium in fourth, Salles completed the Top 5.

Australian youngster Cameron Swain banked good points from an eighth place finish.

Gonzalo Sanchez – P1

“Today I won, even though yesterday I didn’t feel very good with the bike. My team and I worked really hard together with the Yamaha staff, and I spent a long time studying the data to find where I could improve, all of this paid off and I took another victory – four out of five sounds great! I am keeping my feet on the ground and not taking anything for granted because I know tomorrow will be another big fight. A big thanks to my family and to Yamaha, and also to the fans at the circuit – I’m so grateful to them all!”

FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup Race One Results

FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup Championship Points

2024 WorldSBK Calendar