WorldSBK 2015 – Round Three – Aragon
First win for Ducati in WorldSBK since 2012 and first ever in Superbike for the Panigale
In the opening 18-lap encounter at MotorLand Aragon, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) claimed his fourth win of the season, equalling his previous best for number of victories in a year in just five starts. The Ulsterman came out on top at the end of an enthralling last lap saw, which him lose the lead only to retake it on the final corner from fellow Briton Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team) who finished second, missing out the victory by 0.051s.
Initially leading from the start, other KRT rider Tom Sykes was put under immense pressure from the current championship leader and team mate Jonathan Rea who eventually overhauled the former champion on lap 14, and Chaz Davies whose pace in the closing stages was impressive as he clawed back a small gap that had opened up to put himself into contention as the trio neared the last lap. Sykes would eventually finish in the final podium place.
Behind the leading three another three way fight ensued, with Pole Position man Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) getting the better of his team mate Jordi Torres, the pair finish 4th and 5th respectively, just ahead of Xavi Fores on the second factory Ducati Panigale R machine.
Nico Terol (Althea Racing Ducati) closed to within 2.3s of Haslam to claim a well-deserved seventh ahead of Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Ducati), Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and MV Agusta Reparto Corse’s Leon Camier, who completed the top-10.
It was a difficult opening race for the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki pairing of Alex Lowes and Randy de Puniet who both retired to the pits within the opening five laps before rejoining at half distance in an attempt to ensure the technical issues do not re-appear in Race 2. Pata Honda rider Michael van der Mark also retired on lap 11.
Jonathan Rea: “I did not expect to win here because Tom and Chaz are really fast riders and this is their best circuit. So to finish with a first and second is a bit surreal. I need to just keep working hard like I have been and take stock of things. We have not had a result lower than second so far. We had never worked with the SC0 tyre until this weekend but we had to today. We needed to because of the temperature range but I did not know how hard to push at the beginning of race two. That was when Chaz made a gap to me. Race one was also difficult but I think I rode a clever race because the gap at the beginning was almost up to 1.5 seconds. So to close that down without abusing the tyre, and then keep some for the end, was hard work. It is clear Kawasaki has made a big step in the winter and we are really competitive, so I am happy.”
Chaz Davies was second in the opening bout. Davies, second on the grid, was in second through the opening stages, just a few tenths behind leader Sykes. Towards mid-race a small mistake by the Welshman allowed Sykes and Rea to build a small gap ahead of him but, pushing hard, Davies made up the lost ground over the next few laps to put himself back in a position to fight for the race win in the later stages. On lap fourteen he got past Sykes, doing everything possible to pass Rea too in the last two laps. Unfortunately, and despite his best efforts, Chaz was unable to cross the line first but secured second position, separated by only 0.051 of a second from the race winner.
Tom Sykes – 3rd in race one: “I was happy enough with race one because we have come a long way since Thailand. I had a good start, a good middle of the race but towards the end we were not able to push the rear tyre as much as we wanted. I scored a podium in race one but in some ways at the moment we are having a bit of a bad run. I cannot beat myself up about it. I am OK after the crash in race two; I just took a big hit on my left side. It was a strange crash, very late on the exit of the corner so it caught me unaware. Not sure if it was all rider error right now or what. In the beginning of race two the lap times felt consistent and I was looking for a way past Leon and that was when there was a small mistake. We have a great circuit coming up next week at Assen and the plan is to make another step in a good direction.”
The second 18-lap race at MotorLand Aragon, run in much warmer conditions, was won by Briton Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team), after a dominating performance. The Welshman led from turn one to build up a comfortable lead courtesy of a stellar race pace, eventually taking the flag for his fifth career win by 3.1 seconds. Davies last won a WorldSBK race at the Nürburgring in Germany in 2013, but his victory in Spain not only ended Ducati’s 58-race winning drought but also marked the first win for the Panigale R machine in the series.
Race 1 winner Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), suffering from a fever, battled hard throughout the whole race with former team mate Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils), who looked much more at home in race 2 than he did in the earlier encounter. Second position would eventually go to Rea, thus extending his championship lead to 26 points, with Haslam taking the final place on the rostrum as the pair were split by just 0.5s at the chequered flag.
Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) took a well-earned fourth position, circulating more or less alone for the latter part of the race, the rookie looking pleased on his return to the pit box. Xavi Fores claimed another solid result on his debut weekend with the Aruba.it Ducati Superbike Team in fifth.
David Salom (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) completed the top-6 after overhauling Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Ducati), Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team), Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) and Nico Terol (Althea Racing Ducati) in the final two laps.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was running fourth and looked comfortable before high-siding spectacularly on lap five. Reigning champion Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) also fell at the fast turn 14 which ends the lap, the Frenchman was able to walk away.
Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) had another race to forget, the young English rider running off track in the early stages before recovering to salvage two points with a 14th place finish at the flag.
In the championship table after three rounds Rea is only ten points from perfect, with four wins and two second places giving him 140 points. Haslam has 114, Davies 83 and Sykes 66.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – Race 1 2nd – Race Two 1st – “We’ve come close before now but today we finally did it! This has been my only goal since coming to Ducati and I’m very pleased to have achieved this result here. It’s extremely important to me, to be able to repay Ducati, Aruba and all of the ducatisti with the first win for the Panigale R. I know that everyone has been working tirelessly to obtain this result. Race 1 was also really enjoyable and I was happy with the podium but just disappointed with the position, as I really wanted the win. I didn’t have a lot of opportunity to make passes but tried where I could in the final stages. I made a small mistake in the middle of the race, selecting an incorrect electronic setting on the bike and losing maybe a second to the Kawasakis but fortunately I was able to make it back up and push all the way to the line. All in all, it’s been a fantastic day with results that I hope to repeat very soon.”
Leon Haslam, after winning Superpole yesterday, rode his RSV4 to a third place finish in Race 2 and just barely missed the podium in Race 1.
For the morning race the English rider had to deal with the rather low “feared” temperatures that he had already faced yesterday morning and which damaged tyre performance, keeping him from staying in contact with the lead pack. In the afternoon, on hotter tarmac, Leon started from the pole position he earned yesterday and played it safe on the first laps, starting to push and engaging in a heated battle with Rea. The gap between the two changed constantly, which is the sign of a fierce battle in which Haslam yielded only at the end, bringing home an excellent third place finish on a track that has never been particularly kind to him.
Leon Haslam: “I’m really happy about this podium. I knew that it wouldn’t be easy for us, both because of the low temperatures in Race 1 and because of the greater experience our rivals have on this track. In Race 2 we made a few small changes to the RSV4 but most of all the different conditions allowed us to be faster. I was disappointed not to have engaged in a close battle with Rea. I was faster than he was in a few spots of the track, but I lost ground in others. I’m confident as I look forward to the next rounds at Assen and Imola. They are two tracks that I like and our improvement this weekend is an excellent starting place. We know what our strong points are and race after race we are gathering fundamental data to improve. I’m sure that we’ll be able to take advantage of this experience over the rest of the season.”
Another solid race for Jordi Torres, who doesn’t seem in the least to feel his status as a rookie on the world champion bike. On his home track the Spaniard continued working hard to adapt to a new category and to fully comprehend how his RSV4 RF works. The fifth place finish in Race 1, but especially the fourth place in Race 2, shows his great consistency and growing familiarity with the Italian Superbike.
Jordi Torres: “These were two intense races. With the low temperatures we made a conservative choice in terms of tyres and in fact, in the second part of the race we had a good pace. The Race 2 conditions were much different. I used a few laps to adapt and that made me lose contact with the leaders. This is another difficulty of Superbike. Things can change a lot between the two races and it isn’t always easy to adapt. In any case we did a good job this weekend. I earned some important points but above all I am continuing to gain experience, learning the secrets of this category. I’ve even changed my riding style a lot and I just need to take that final step, but I am leaving Aragon with good sensations.”
Javier Forés (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #112) – 6th, 5th – “Seeing as these were my first races of 2015, and having not ridden a lot prior to this weekend, I can only be pleased about concluding in fifth and sixth place, also considering the high level of the championship. During the weekend we were able to make continuous improvement and so I’m pleased about that. Unfortunately in the race I was just lacking a little confidence from mid-race onwards on the used tyre. Now I cannot wait to move on to Assen, a track I really enjoy and that I know very well, and where I hope to make two strong races. Congratulations to Chaz on his great win.”
Nico Terol scored seventh and tenth place finishes, and Matteo Baiocco thirteenth and eleventh in the World Superbike races.
Nico Terol: “This weekend I have taken further small steps forward in terms of finding the right feeling. I can’t say I’m totally happy, especially with race 2, where fourth position was well within my reach. Unfortunately I went long while trying to pass Vd Mark and after that I couldn’t make up the lost ground. I’m sorry because the team did a great job, but now I’m already thinking about Assen where I hope to score the results we deserve.”
Matteo was unable to resolve the grip issues that have bothered him all weekend and that, in race 1, didn’t allow him to do better than thirteenth. He improved in race 2, where he found better feeling with his Ducati and just missed out on the top ten with a good eleventh place finish. More useful points and further steps forward ahead of the next races scheduled to take place already next weekend at Assen (The Netherlands).
Matteo Baiocco: “I’m a bit disappointed because I haven’t been able to find a solution to the grip problems I’ve had this weekend. I went a little better in race 2 although I struggled to keep pace with those ahead of me. In the end the points are always useful for the standings, but my potential, and that of the bike, means we should be fighting with the best. In Assen we’ll start over with the aim of doing well at a track I enjoy and where I think we can do well.”
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Randy de Puniet and Alex Lowes overcame the weekend’s electronics issues to take 13th and 14th positions in the second race at Motorland Aragon in Spain today.
De Puniet showed consistently-improving pace throughout the afternoon’s action, progressing from his 19th grid start to manoeuvre his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R to 12th by the sixth lap. The final stages of the day’s racing saw the Frenchman battle with Román Ramos (Go Eleven) swapping places a number of times before claiming 13th at the line.
Lowes laid his race one problems to rest with a great start in the second outing. However, an early engine brake control issue saw him run off at turn eight on the first lap and re-join at back of the pack. Head down, the British racer fought his way through nine riders to position his Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the points by lap 11. Exhibiting the speed and control that could have seen him fighting for sixth, Lowes battled bravely, coming home in 14th with two championship points and an understanding of the potential to come.
The morning’s race was fraught with tension after a launch control error at the lights threatened to end Lowes’ race before it had begun. The weekend’s continuing electronics development returned both riders to the pits after five laps – while Lowes re-joined for the remainder of the race and continued to circulate, evaluating the system and collecting valuable data, but de Puniet was forced to retire after seven laps on track.
Development of the GSX-R’s new Magneti Marelli system continues in earnest for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki as the team heads directly from Spain to the Netherlands for the fourth round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship taking place at Assen’s ‘Cathedral of Speed’ on Sunday April 19th.
Alex Lowes – “There is no getting away from how difficult it has been this weekend, I did my best today and I really don’t feel I could have done a lot more. There’s no point explaining the problems we’ve had with the new system but I’m frustrated, both for me and the whole team, as the guys have shown so much commitment to moving this project forward but it just wasn’t to be this weekend. I’m still convinced that we will have a more competitive bike when it’s all dialled-in and when we’re challenging for podiums again; whenever that may be, it will make the work we’ve done this weekend feel even more worthwhile.”
Randy de Puniet – “We knew it was going to be a very difficult weekend, but maybe I didn’t expect how difficult! We have learnt many things; in the first race the bike was impossible to ride, with too many technical problems. I pulled-in three times to try to solve them but eventually we had to stop. For the second race we decided to change the strategy completely and although it was far from perfect it was much better. I finished 13th but was close to 11th, so maybe there was potential for more. We are still far from where we want to be and we need to find the solution quickly, so we will see in Assen how far we can advance. My thanks to the team for their effort during a difficult weekend, I gave my best and so did they. Now it is time to take the information gained and improve for the next race.”
Paul Denning – Suzuki Team Manager – “We had hoped to make good progress over the course of the weekend with the new Magneti Marelli system but unfortunately in terms of outright potential that wasn’t the case. We have definitely learnt a lot and we will have a much better base for Assen in a week’s time but after Assen we are going to need a significant amount of detailed development to get back to where we were, and then to progress and exploit the full potential of the new system.
“Alex honestly made the bike look better than it was and did an incredible job under the circumstances. His pace for the last 10 laps of race two was faster than the sixth place finisher – which given the problems he was encountering on track reaffirms the potential of the package and gives us confidence that we will be able to recover well when things are right.
“I would like to also thank Randy for his patience and his efforts this weekend; at least both riders seeing the chequered flag and scoring points in the second race was an outcome we can build on.
“It was great to see all the guests from Tyco Security Products here in Aragon this weekend and I would like to also thank Suzuki and Title Sponsors Voltcom for their supportive attitude during this process. We will improve and we look forward to putting the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki back into the fight with the front group as soon as possible.”
Aragon was a challenging outing for Michael van der Mark and Sylvain Guintoli. Over the weekend the team strived to improve and find the optimum setting for the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP around the 5.077km circuit.
In the first of two 18-lap races, van der Mark was forced to retire due to a small technical problem on the tenth lap. The second race saw the SBK rookie make a gallant attack moving up from his starting grid position in 11th to sixth place, but on the last lap had to settle with eighth.
Meanwhile van der Mark’s teammate Sylvain Guintoli finished race one within the top-ten taking ninth place after making his way forward from his qualifying position in 14th. During the second installment he had made his way up to tenth but crashed out of the running on the sixth lap after loosing the front.
The team will now take and analyse all the data collected from each session this weekend in preparation for its home race at Assen, the Netherlands next weekend 17-19 April.
Michael van der Mark – DNF – 8th – “I felt quite confident going into race one today, but I knew I had some work to do starting from 11th. My lap times were getting better and better and I was improving on each lap, but unfortunately we had a small technical problem, which meant I had to finish the race early. Race two was better, I managed to get up to speed quickly and move further forward towards the front. I’m happy to leave here with some points and we now have some work to do before Assen next weekend, where I hope we have some better results.”
Sylvain Guintoli – 9th – DNF – “This weekend we have been working hard to find the right settings for the Fireblade around this circuit, which hasn’t been easy. I think in race two I could have challenged for sixth position but I got a little hungry and lost the front, which resulted in me crashing out unfortunately. It’s not normally something that happens to me, but sometimes it does and you have to learn from it. The guys have collected a lot of data from this round and will be working towards finding solutions for Michael and myself to get the results we all want.”
Pieter Breddels – “Aragon has been a bit of a challenge for us as we have tried to find the optimum setting for the CBR1000RR and we knew that both races would be difficult. In race one Sylvain got off to a good start immediately going into the top-ten and finished the race ninth. Michael recovered his start well and was building good momentum and producing lap times that could match the guys in front of him. Unfortunately after ten-laps he had a small technical issue with the bike, which forced him out of the race. In race two Sylvain had a crash after loosing the front, which ended his weekend. For Michael it was a lot better, he fought all throughout the race to get into sixth position but on the very last lap had to settle for eighth. Both riders rode well all weekend but there is a gap at the front, which we now have to go back and an alyse and think how we can close this, and get closer to the action.”
“Today is a really important day for us. The first win for the Panigale in World Superbike is a significant milestone that goes a long way towards repaying the great work carried out by all of the guys in Borgo Panigale who, with dedication, passion and commitment have worked tirelessly over these last two years without a victory. The first thank-you therefore goes to all of their hard work: “Well done”. Chaz was superb and in race 2 he rode perfectly to give us this first victory. He only just missed out in race 1 but in race 2 he won by a clear margin, demonstrating all of our bike’s potential as well as his great talent. The entire team has worked well, as ever, and Xavi’s results are also very positive. Now we must continue in the same direction to ensure that this is the first of many.”
World Supersport
The first European race of this year’s World Supersport championship was decided in favour of Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing).
Poleman Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto) was in contention until, for the second race in a row he suffered a technical problem while fighting for the lead. The Frenchman was clearly distraught as he retired on lap 12, leaving former Champion Sofuoglu to claim his 21st WSS race victory by a comfortable margin of 3.224s, and with it the championship lead.
PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) who was also in the hunt from the start eventually finished 2nd, with Pata Honda World Supersport’s Kyle Smith taking the final podium place in 3rd (+5.695s).
Gino Rea recovered from an average start to end the 16 lap race in 4th, the Brit getting the better of Italian Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in a photo finish. Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) continued his solid start to the year, scoring 10 points for a hard earned 6th at the flag ahead of compatriot Fabio Menghi (VFT Racing) who had his best result in WSS since Imola last year.
There was a multi rider crashes on lap 6, with Thai race winner Ratthapark Wilairot (CORE Motorsport Thailand), Marco Faccani (San Carlo Puccetti Racing) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) all falling from the top 8 without injury.
Glenn Scott was 18th on the AARK Honda.
Last turn pass gives Tamburini maiden STK1000 win – Bryan Staring sixth
The inaugural race of the season for the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup was one to remember and one which was decided at the very last turn. With a perfectly timed manoeuvre, Roberto Tamburini (Team MotoxRacing BMW) edged out fellow Italian Lorenzo Savadori (Nuova M2 Racing Aprilia) for the win, who led for most of the encounter. The pairing was part of a four-way pack that pulled away in the early stages, which also included Kev Coghlan (MRS Yamaha) and Raffaele De Rosa (Althea Racing Ducati), third and fourth respectively at the flag.
With Ondrej Jezek (Triple-M by Barni Ducati) in fifth and Bryan Staring (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) in sixth, the top-6 represented five different manufacturers. The French trio of Florian Marino (MRS Yamaha), Romain Lanusse (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and Jeremy Guarnoni (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) came in seventh, eighth and ninth at the flag, with Sweden’s Christoffer Bergman (MG Competition Yamaha) rounding out the top-10.
FIM Superstock 1000 Cup MotorLand Aragon – Race
1 – Roberto Tamburini Team MotoxRacing BMW
2 – Lorenzo Savadori Nuova M2 Racing +0.154
3 – Kev Coghlan MRS Yamaha +1.485
Razgatlioglu takes the STK600 double at Aragon
A relentless Toprak Razgatlioglu has come out on top in the second race of the Aragon Round double-header of the FIM European Superstock 600 Championship, leaving the Spanish track with maximum points after another display of great talent. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider had to deal once again with yesterday’s second place finisher Michael Ruben Rinaldi (San Carlo Team Italia), who took the fight to the Turk until the last lap, when he crashed out on turn 14 while attempting to close up on the leader.
With Rinaldi out of podium contention, the STK600 second race rostrum was completed by Federico Caricasulo (Pata Honda Junior Team) and Gauthier Duwelz (MVR-Racing Yamaha), who edged out Andrea Tucci (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki), Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing Team) and Augusto Fernandez (Pata Honda Junior Team).
FIM Europe Superstock 600 Championship MotorLand Aragon – Race 2
1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu Kawasaki Puccetti Racing
2 – Federico Caricasulo Pata Honda Junior Team +7.213
3 – Gauthier Duwelz MVR-Racing Yamaha +7.222
The Pata European Junior Cup gets underway at Motorland Aragon
New Zealand’s Avalon Biddle wins womens sub-category
This weekend the Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda Racing kicked off its opening round at Motorland Aragon in Spain.
Javier Orellana took the win in a thrilling race from start to finish. Orellana placed second overall in last year’s championship and pushed hard to secure today’s win. In a close field of talented young riders Orellana battled with eventual second place finisher Paolo Grassia to the very end in a nail-biting eight-lap race.
Grassia started the race from third on the grid and was one of the front-runners throughout the whole race. Emanuele Pusceddu completed the EJC podium in third place. During practice on Friday Pusceddu suffered a massive crash and although was declared fit to race was carrying an injury going into today, but was still able to be challenging for the win.
Fourth place finisher Mika Perez had an impressive ride and led the pack for most of the race and looked to be taking the win. With three laps left the pack at the front closed and the Spaniard lost time and settled to fourth. Fifth place went to Hannes Soomer and the fastest Brit during the race was Stefan Hill who crossed the line in 14th place.
Meanwhile in the FIM Europe Women’s European Championship Avalon Biddle took the win and finished overall in 13th position. Biddle was also the fastest female in qualifying in 17th. At the start of the race the New Zealand rider was caught up in a first corner crash and lost time but soon made her way up the pack to win the women’s race and overall placed 13th.
Anastassia Kovalenko was the second fastest female and finished overall in 21st, and Laura Rodriguez finished one place behind in 22nd. Rodriguez had a brave race after crashing out in yesterdays qualifying and was still in some pain during the race. Viktoria Kis had a promising ride before crashing out on the fourth lap, where she was holding 18th position. Kis had qualified in 26th place.
The next round of the Pata European Junior Cup, powered by Honda Racing takes place next weekend at Assen, the Netherlands 17-19 April.
Javier Orellana – 1st – It’s been a really good weekend here at Aragon for the first round of the year. We started free practice well and I qualified fifth. Every EJC race is crazy with seven strong riders leading the group. I knew coming into the last turn I was strong and I braked late and got the win.
Paolo Grassia – 2nd – The race was fantastic and I am very happy to finish second, but also a little disappointed as I lost the win by 0.028s. I would like to say thank you to my mechanic and father and I look forward to the race at Assen.
Emanuele Pusceddu – 3rd – I was really happy to finish on the podium today at Aragon. I had a big crash on Friday so I was feeling a little sore from that, but for sure I will be fit for Assen and looking to win.
Avalon Biddle – 13th – I’m pretty happy to come away with the victory in the women’s class, it’s my first race competing at this level so I really nervous coming into the weekend and thinking don’t crash, which is unusual for me but I wanted to score the points for the women’s championship and that’s what I did. I was hoping for a top-ten overall and finished 13th, there was a big crash at the start and I ran wide and lost a few positions so had to pass the rest of the girls and make my way back up. I’m looking forward to Assen and hopefully a top-ten.
Gerry Bryce – Pata European Junior Cup director – It was an absolutely fantastic race and to have had that many riders so close at the end was a real display of some great riders and talent. We’re really happy to have Javier at the top: the pass he made at the end of the straight to take the win was phenomenal. Throughout the whole weekend all the riders have behaved professionally and shown immense talent, we’re very proud of them all and look forward to next weekend at Assen.
