Mike Jones proves strong in Misano Superstock 1000
Fellow Aussie Glenn Scott fights from 33rd to sneak into the points
Mike Jones made a strong showing at Misano in the European Superstock Championship, qualifying fifth, less than a second (0.926s) off teammate and pole winner Rinaldi, before struggling after a red flag restarted the race, that saw him caught in traffic in Turn 1.
This was in contrast to his original race start, prior to the red flag, which saw him push into second place before moving back through the field. In the restarted race Jones fought his way back through the pack to finish in eighth position, adding eight-points to his championship tally.
Jone’s qualifying time in particular was notable, with the Australian rider not far off teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who has a fine pedigree as the 2011 CIV Sport Production Champion, as well as runner up in 2013 CIV Moto3 series before also claiming the #2 plate in the 2015 European Superstock 600cc Championship
Mike Jones later admitted to expecting more after his strong qualifying, but also thought it smart to perhaps play it a little safe, after the first corner saw him move back through the pack, trying to ensure he wasn’t taken out in any melee.
Mike Jones
“Most of the weekend has been good. We had a strong qualifying, being close to pole position, but during the race I couldn’t quite run the pace of the guys at the front. At the restart, I was buried in carnage at the first corner and just tried to stay on the bike but got shuffled back. With only five laps left, I could only come back to 8th position, which isn’t a bad result, but I was expecting more after qualifying. We improved our speed, now we need to improve our overall pace. Not quite making it happen just yet, but not far away either…”
Fellow Aussie Glenn Scott rode a strong race, to take home another 1000STK World Championship point, managing to fight his way through the field from 33rd on the starting grid to finish the race in 15th.
Scott and his Agro-On Benjan Kawasaki Racing Team were in overdrive on Friday and Saturday trying to find answers to their multitude of problems. However, Sunday was a different story and they managed to find a setting for the ZX-10RR that gave Scott the confidence to have a strong race and be able to pass 18 riders, in order to battle within the top 15.
An amazing start to the race and continued aggression throughout, helped Glenn get over the line to score another point. By lap 11, Scott had made his way to 19th in the field of 37 riders, but the race was red-flagged due to oil on track and had to be restarted with a five lap dash.
Scott got another unbelievable start and by turn 1 had put himself into 12th position. He continued to battle for 12th, 13th and 14th position, but unfortunately he just didn’t quite have the pace to hold it there for the last two laps.
Glenn Scott
“I’m over the moon to finish in the points for the second time this season. We struggled all weekend with bike setup and we managed to turn that all round in the race and equal our best result of the season. I’m so happy to have done my team and family proud. To make 18 places in the race and take home a world championship point after the terrible two days we had, I am absolutely stoked. It’s nice to finish the first half of the season on a high, the team and myself are very happy and feeling confident again moving into the summer break. It was a tough weekend mentally and physically, so I just have to send a special thanks to Al Samuels for helping me stay focused and keeping me on track toward success. A big thank you to my sponsors for their continuous support: Shark Leathers, Daytona boots, Shoei Helmets, West Sliders, Agro-On Benjan and Heel Fit.”
Mike Jones’s teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi had a strong weekend, taking pole position, which he followed up by taking the race win, while also leading prior to the race restart, with five laps left at that point.At the restart, with used tyres, Rinaldi rode at the front until the last corners but eventually took second place in a thrilling finale.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
“I’m a bit disappointed because the victory was almost sealed before the race was red-flagged. At the restart I couldn’t keep the same pace on used tyres because I gave everything I got earlier. I still tried to defend the lead, and it was a good battle, but we couldn’t do more. The most important thing is to be back on top of the standings. We’ve been fast all weekend and we want to stay at this level after the summer break.”
After five rounds, Rinaldi and Jones are respectively first (90 points) and twelfth (29 points) in the championship. The Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team will be back on track at EuroSpeedway Lausitz (Germany) for the sixth round of the season, scheduled for August 18-20.
Piero Guidi, Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team Manager
“It’s been a hectic race, but this is the case sometimes. We barely missed the win, but the good thing is that the team worked flawlessly and we’ve been fast throughout the weekend. Michael took back the championship lead, and Mike equalled his best result during the race but most of all made progress in terms of downright speed. Now we’ll take a short break to recharge ahead of the next round.”
Superstock 1000 – Misano Results – Top 15
- M. RINALDI – ITA- Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team – Ducati Panigale
- R. TAMBURINI- ITA- PATA Yamaha Official STK 1000 Team – Yamaha YZF R1
- T. RAZGATLIOGLU- TUR- Kawasaki Puccetti Racing- Kawasaki ZX-10RR
- F. SANDI- ITA- Berclaz Racing Team – BMW S 1000 RR
- M. FACCANI- ITA- Althea BMW Racing Team – BMW S 1000 RR
- M. FERRARI- ITA- DMR Racing Team – BMW S 1000 RR
- S. SUCHET- SUI- Berclaz Racing Team – BMW S 1000 RR
- M. JONES- AUS- Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team – Ducati Panigale R
- A. SCHACHT- DEN- EAB Schacht Racing Team – Ducati Panigale R
- F. SANCHIONI- ITA- Clasitaly – BMW S 1000 RR
- E. VIONNET- SUI- Motors Vionnet – BMW S 1000 RR
- J. PUFFE- GER- Althea MF84 – BMW S 1000 RR
- R. CECCHINI- ITA- DDM by BWG_Bike & Motor RT_Grimaldi – Kawasaki ZX-10RR
- F. D’ANNUNZIO- ITA- FDA Racing Team – BMW S 1000 RR
- G. SCOTT- AUS- Agro On-Benjan-Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-10RR
