Sykes the victor while disaster strikes for Davies, Van Der Mark and Melandri
Jonathan Rea’s championship lead trimmed back to 46-points
A breathtaking Race 1 at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” on Saturday afternoon saw Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) take advantage of three big crashes ahead of him to secure maximum points, with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) also on the podium.
Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 33’44.269
Alex Lowes Yamaha GBR 00’04.551
Jonathan Rea Kawasaki GBR 00’08.126
In the final stages of the last lap Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed out of the lead and was hit by Rea, with Rea able to pick up his bike to finish third, behind winner Sykes and second placed Lowes.
Moments before that incident Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) also crashed when fighting for a podium finish but remounted to cross the line in 15th.
Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) also spectacularly crashed out at turn 13 with 7 laps to go, with Rea close by, after the Dutchman had led for most of the race. Van der Mark took over at the front from provisional leader Rea in the early stages and had built up a big lead at one stage before his advantage decreased and then he went down.
Behind Sykes, Lowes and Rea the top five also featured Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) and Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team).
Meanwhile in the first race of the Pirelli Riviera Di Rimini Round, Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia), Randy Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Roman Ramos (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven), Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Raffaele de Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) were all in the top ten.
There were retirements for Stefan Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) who again suffered technical gremlins. Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) and Riccardo Russo (Guandalini Racing) also retired while Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) crashed late but remounted to finish 11th.
1st – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)
“In racing it is all circumstances. Like in Donington we had great speed but also starting with the reverse grid. In the end the circumstances meant we were able to win today and finally for this I am happy. We will take the 25 points and nothing more to ask for. For tomorrow we need to improve the bike settings. Already in race one I was thinking about tomorrow but all of a sudden other riders had problems.
“In racing you have to accept things like this and I only hope that Chaz is OK after I saw some footage of his crash on the slow-down lap. It looked a nasty incident so I hope Chaz is going to be OK and will be fit to race tomorrow. In this moment we will take the 25 points and get them under my own steam tomorrow.”
2nd – Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
“Of course, I am happy to be on the podium! This weekend started really tough for me with 3 crashes on Friday, and I just haven’t had the front-end feel at this track that I have had at all the other tracks, and honestly, I have been struggling. But in the race today I managed to get a decent start and I noticed a lot of the other guys were struggling as well and I managed to keep a consistent pace. I hope all the guys who crashed are alright. My teammate Michael did a fantastic job all weekend, and it sounds as if the crash wasn’t his fault at all, so he deserved a lot more from that race. It’s nice to be on the podium and it’s great to see our hard work paying off. Even without the guys at the front making the mistakes, we were still relatively close to the front which is a good step for us. I am happy, it’s a great result after a tough weekend and hopefully we can make some small changes to the bike and be closer to the battle for the win tomorrow.”
3rd – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
“The plan was to just release the brake and go up the inside of Chaz on the last corner, but unfortunately for both of us it did not get that far. Especially for Chaz. He made a mistake and tucked the front and I am super-sorry that I hit him but I had absolutely nowhere to go. I hope he is OK. I can’t remember ever being on the podium in a race I have fallen in, maybe in a wet race but probably not, to be honest. In van der Mark’s crash earlier in the race I had to go off track. I was so close to almost hitting him and then his bike almost hit me. It was certainly eventful. It was a shame for me and Chaz as we were fighting for the victory.”
15th – Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33)
“This morning I had a great feeling on the bike, but track conditions changed with the heat and I didn’t have the same confidence during the race. When Rea passed me in the final phases, we lost about half a second from the lead. In the last lap, I wanted to stay as close as possible to the front because I thought the fight between Rea and Davies could open up a window of opportunity, but as soon as I let off the brake at turn 4 I lost the front. Unfortunately, we struggled with grip throughout the race. In retrospect, it would have been better not to push so hard, but overall I’m still satisfied because in the past two rounds we struggled a lot, while the competitiveness shown on this track gives me confidence.”
DNF – Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
“This morning we made a slight change on the bike’s geometry and I felt really good right from the start! I improved my pace and I was really happy. In SP2 my first lap on the race tyre was really good, and after that I was very consistent. I made small step forward and I was happy to qualify on the second row in fifth. In the race, I had a bit of a strange start, but it turned out to be a really good one! I was second on the first lap and on the next lap I passed Jonathan Rea for the lead. I just did my pace, but it was not as strong as I expected, but it was good enough to pull away from the rest. Towards the end, I was still doing the same lap times and Jonathan was starting to close in. Then for no reason I lost the rear in a really fast corner. I don’t know what happened, but for sure it was not my fault and we have to find out what the cause of the crash was. I am happy because we had a really strong race, but I am very disappointed as this should have been my first podium, or even victory, for Yamaha.”
Chaz Davies suffers spinal fracture
Chaz Davies was diagnosed with a closed thoracic trauma, and was then transported by ambulance to Rimini to undergo a CAT scan, which showed a fracture of the transverse process of L3 (3rd lumbar vertebra). Further examinations also indicate a contusion of the left thumb. Davies will not take part in Race 2 and will observe a period of rest before being re-examined ahead of the Laguna Seca round.
Misano World SBK Race One Results 2017
- Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 33’44.269
- Alex Lowes Yamaha GBR 00’04.551
- Jonathan Rea Kawasaki GBR 00’08.126
- Jordi Torres BMW ESP 00’10.850
- Xavi Fores Ducati ESP 00’13.649
- Eugene Laverty Aprilia GBR 00’20.508
- Randy Krummenacher Kawasaki CHE 00’22.498
- Román Ramos Kawasaki ESP 00’26.329
- Lorenzo Savadori Aprilia ITA 00’28.965
- Raffaele De Rosa BMW ITA 00’32.171
- Leon Camier MV Agusta GBR 00’38.314
- Alex De Angelis Kawasaki SM 00’39.829
- Ayrton Badovini Kawasaki ITA 00’50.478
- Ondrej Jezek Kawasaki CZE 00’55.208
- Marco Melandri Ducati ITA 01’02.645
2017 WorldSBK Championship Standings after Race 1, Round 7
- Jonathan Rea (GBR) Kawasaki (276 points)
- Tom Sykes (GBR) Kawasaki (230 points)
- Chaz Davies (GBR) Ducati (185 points)
Kenan Sofuogu to head the WorldSSP grid at Misano ahead of Cluzel and Caricasulo on front row
At the Pirelli Riviera Di Rimini Round on Saturday afternoon the WorldSSP World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) grabbed his third pole of 2017 and the 33rd of his career in the class, with the Turkish rider joined on the front row by Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) and Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team).
Having won the last three races in succession Sofuoglu has responded in style to his injury earlier in the year and he will be aiming to continue his winning streak in Sunday’s race at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”.
Sofuoglu’s 1’38.672 lap on the Kawasaki ZX-6R put him ahead of his rivals, with Cluzel qualifying seond by a +0.098s margin. Caricasulo was +0.291s down on Sofuoglu’s time for third place.
Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team), Christian Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing) and Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing) were fourth to sixth respectively, to fill the second row.
On row three are Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing), PJ Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Kyle Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini). Behind Briton Smith on the timesheet was his compatriot Gino Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) who heads row four.
That fourth row will also feature Axel Bassani (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI) and Anthony West (EAB West Racing).
Smith and Morais had made it through from an SP1 session which was briefly red flagged after a crash for Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing) who ended up 28th on the final grid.
Giuseppe Scarcella qualified 32nd.
Pole position – Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
“Until today it was quite difficult, we had some technical problems yesterday but the important thing is that we are very strong and even in Superpole i secured my best laps. I didn’t do my best lap, but I did a fast lap and tomorrow the goal is to win the race.”
WorldSSP Tissot-Superpole 2
- Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Kawasaki 1.38.672
- Jules Cluzel (FRA) Honda 1.38.770 (+0.098)
- Federico Caricasulo (ITA) Yamaha 1.38.963 (+0.291)
WorldSSP300: Perez takes sensational pole position at Misano
Continuing on his strong run of form, Spain’s Mika Perez (WILSport Racedays) has secured his second pole position for the Pirelli Riviera Di Rimini Round after he put in a stunning lap of 1.52.490 and was unable to be caught.
Following searing heat conditions on Friday, clouds descended on the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli meaning track conditions were slightly cooler, giving the young riders a welcomed break. Superpole One was the ever-competitive session, but it was ultimately Alex Murley (Team Toth) who ended the session on top, 0.294 head of Chris Taylor (MTM HS Kawasaki) – making Superpole One an all British lock out.
Fighting for pole position around a circuit which is notoriously difficult to overtake around, the 12 riders headed out for the Superpole 2 shoot out.
Marc Garcia (Halcourier Racing) secured the early pace in the session, as the One Event rider continues to impress following his victory last time out at Donington Park. However he had a fight on his hands with countryman Mika Perez (WILSport Racedays), as he went a sensational 1.229s ahead of the field with four minutes left on the clock.
Despite their best efforts, Perez’s stunning lap time couldn’t be beaten and he secured pole position ahead of Garcia who took the gap down to 1.016s. Dutch rider Robert Schotman (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP300 Team) rounded out the front row at Misano.
Giuseppe De Gruttola (SK Racing) gave the home fans something to shout about as he crossed the line as the top Italian and will start the race from fourth position on the grid, ahead of compatriot Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing) as wild card Luca Bernardi (MotorZenit) made it an all Italian second row.
Chris Taylor heads the third row following a strong Superpole One performance, ahead of Daniel Valle (Halcourier Racing) and Armando Pontone (IODARacing). Championship leader Scott Deroue (MTM HS Kawasaki) will be fighting through the field from 14th on the grid, as he continues to fight to hold onto his lead.
Pole position – Mika Perez (WILSport Racedays)
“I am so happy to have another pole position in Italy and with this lap time, the Honda has a strong pace through sector one, so I pushed through there and was able to set a good lap, as well as using the slipstream to help. Tomorrow I hope I can fight in a smaller group, I don’t want to be in with ten riders, but I am looking forward to the fight.”
WorldSSP300 Tissot-Superpole 2
- Mika Perez (ESP) Honda 1.52.490
- Marc Garcia (ESP) Yamaha 1.53.506 (+1.016)
- Robert Schotman (NED) Yamaha 1.54.139 (+1.649)
