WorldSBK Race 1: Rea takes commanding lights-to-flag WorldSBK Race 1 victory

Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea extends his Championship lead to 41 points after dominating Race 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The first ever MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was won by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) as the reigning champion claimed victory in race one for the inaugural Acerbis Catalunya Round; extending his championship lead to 41 points.

Rea started from pole position after going quickest in this morning’s Tissot Superpole session and held position off the line as the lights went out, maintaining and increasing a gap to his nearest rivals on track. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) finished in second place after getting a superb launch off the grid after starting from seventh place; the British rider taking advantage of a close call between Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) and teammate Michael van der Mark at turn one.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) and Redding battled in the early stages of the race before trying to work together to close the gap to Rea but they were unable to do so with Rea extending his lead to eventually win by 2.6s. Redding came home to finish in second place while Rinaldi fell down the order in the latter stages, eventually finishing in seventh.

Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) battled his way through the field to finish in third place meaning British riders have now locked out the podium on 54 occasions in WorldSBK, with Davies finishing ahead of van der Mark in fourth. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) lost ground compared to his starting position, finishing in fifth place with Razgatlioglu in sixth after the incident with his teammate at turn one. Bautista lost a position to Davies lap 15 of 20 when he went wide into turn one, allowing Davies to sweep around the outside of Bautista.

Rinaldi finished in seventh place after losing lots of time in the final few laps, being passed by Davies, van der Mark and Bautista in three successive laps. He finished ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) as the American continued his strong performances in dry conditions in Barcelona.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was in ninth place with Leon Haslam (Team HRC) completing the top ten. Eugene Laverty picked up points for his efforts with 11th place, just one tenth away from a top ten finish. Wildcard Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing) battled his way through the field after not setting a time in qualifying, moving up from 21st to finish 12th.

Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) completed the points paying positions by rounding out the top 15. Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) finished in 16th on his first appearance in 2020, ahead of last-minute call up Lorenzo Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing).

Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance), Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) and Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) were the rest of the finishers in the race with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) retiring from the race in the early stages.

WorldSBK Race 1 Podium

1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +2.625s
3. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +4.459s

P1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “I had a lot of motivation in this race. It’s my team home race. Obviously, Ana Carrasco can’t be here with us in the team, so this race win is for her and also for my grandfather. It is his anniversary today, 27 years ago he died so I was using that as a lot of power in the race to just never give up. I am super happy for me, my team. I wish the fans could be here, and their families to celebrate with us but lot of info for tomorrow. I am looking forward to that one because in the last laps, the front was moving quiet a lot. In this temperature with this grip level, we just need a bit more for tomorrow. So, looking forward to sleeping on that and coming back stronger tomorrow.”

Tissot Superpole Race: Van der Mark wins dramatic WorldSBK Superpole Race

Michael van der Mark becomes the sixth different winner of the 2020 WorldSBK season after claiming victory in chaotic Superpole Race.

There was drama from the start in Sunday’s Tissot Superpole Race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the inaugural Acerbis Catalunya Round where the 10-lap race was won by Dutchman Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) in dramatic finish with van der Mark claiming his first victory since Jerez race two in 2019 and claiming Yamaha’s 80th victory in WorldSBK.

Van der Mark started the race from fourth place and moved up to second from the start, slotting in behind Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) on the opening lap. The order stayed the same throughout the opening two laps but Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) moved passed both of them on lap 13 to take the lead.

Bautista’s lead would not last long as he had a massive highside at the right hander of turn 4 four which forced the Spaniard out of the race; Bautista taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the accident. Both van der Mark and Rea avoided being collected in the accident with the Dutchman taking the lead and building his lead throughout the race. It meant van der Mark was joined on the podium by Rea and Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha); the trio completing the front row for race two.

Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) finished in fourth place after fighting from tenth on the grid while Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) was in fifth after battling with Davies throughout the race; the pair separated by just 0.056s at the line. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN), one of three riders not to use the SCX tyre in the race, finished in sixth to complete the second row for race two.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was seventh with Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) in eighth; Redding not using the SCX tyre in the Superpole Race. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was in ninth after starting from the front row to secure a third row start in race two.

There was a collision between Leon Haslam (Team HRC) and Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) with the British rider taken to the medical centre for a check-up. Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) also did not finish the race after a crash at turn five.

Tissot Superpole Race Podium

1. Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.372s
3. Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +2.923s

WorldSBK Race 2: Davies pips van der Mark in titanic Catalunya battle, Gerloff scores maiden podium

Chaz Davies became the seventh different winner of the 2020 WorldSBK season while American star Garrett Gerloff scores his first WorldSBK podium.

Race 2 from MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s was full of drama and intrigue at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) claimed his first win of the 2020 season and became the seventh different winner in 2020, while American rookie Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) claimed his maiden World Superbike podium.

Davies was able to get to the front in the early stages of the race before taking the lead and controlling the action, withstanding pressure from Tissot Superpole Race winner Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) after the pair passed each other in the first half of the race. Van der Mark then fell into the clutches of Gerloff after the American made a sensational start from fifth place to run in the top three, putting pressure on van der Mark all race.

Gerloff passed van der Mark for second place on the last lap but a mistake from Gerloff on lap 10 allowed the Dutchman through for second; Gerloff coming home in third place. Davies held on to win his 31st race in his career, equalling Colin Edwards on the all-time list of winners. Gerloff’s podium means he becomes the first American to stand on the WorldSBK podium since Nicky Hayden in 2016.

Championship leader Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) extended his lead at the top of the standings with fourth place, finishing five seconds clear of Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) finished in sixth place after being passed by Sykes with just a couple of laps to go. Rea had lost ground at the start, but was able to regroup to finish in fourth place and take a 51 point lead into the next round at Magny-Cours.

Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) secured his best result of the season with seventh place as he showed more impressive pace, ahead of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in eighth. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) was the sole Honda rider in race two and finished in ninth, with Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in tenth after losing lots of ground at turn one at the start.

Jonas Folger’s (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing) impressive wildcard weekend continued as he battled his way from the back of the grid to 11th place; Folger not setting a time in Tissot Superpole and missing out on a top nine starting grid for race two by the smallest of margins. Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) was 12th after starting from the back of the grid; Caricasulo penalised for irresponsible riding in the Superpole Race after a collision with Haslam

Lorenzo Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing) scored points after being called up to the championship on Friday evening with 13th place while Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) and Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) completed the points-scoring positions.

Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) did not start the race following a technical issue on the sighting lap; the Spanish rider, who was declared fit following his dramatic highside crash in the Tissot Superpole Race, pulling off the track shortly after leaving the pit lane.

Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) crashed out in the early stages, while Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) and Valentin Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) had a coming together on lap 17 while battling for 15th place. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN), who had been running in the top four for the majority of the race, had a technical issue in the latter stages of the race forcing him to retire from the race on lap 19.

WorldSBK Race 2 Podium

1. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
2. Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +2.460s
3. Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) +2.559s

 

WorldSBK Championship Standings After Race 2

1. Jonathan Rea (GRB) Kawasaki (290 points)
2. Scott Redding (GRB) Ducati (239 points)
3. Chaz Davies (GRB) Ducati (188 points)

WorldSSP Race 1: Verdoïa storms to shock WorldSSP victory in Red Flagged Race 1

Andy Verdoïa becomes the youngest ever WorldSSP race winner after a mid-race rainstorm brings out the Red Flag.

The weather played a massive role in the outcome of the first ever FIM Supersport World Championship race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) claimed a shock victory in a Red Flagged Race 1 for the Acerbis Catalunya Round as Championship leader Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) finished off the podium for the first time this season.

Verdoïa did not pit stop as the rain came down in Montmelo and was the leader at the timing point the results were taken from; with 11 laps of the 17 scheduled completed full race points awarded. Verdoïa becomes the first WorldSSP300 race winner to win in WorldSSP as well as the youngest WorldSSP winner as he claimed victory ahead of Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha) who completed the podium; Smith replacing the injured Jules Cluzel for this round.

Championship leader Locatelli finished in fourth place after losing time as the rain started to fall but had been leading in dry conditions. Although he had a poor start and fell into fourth place on Lap 2, a lap later into Turn 1 he passed Mahias, Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha).

Mahias, Smith and Locatelli were the last riders to come into the pits before the Red Flag was shown with all three just about to get back on track after changing tyres in the pits while Verdoïa was able to stay out without pitting, keeping his bike on track to claim victory.

Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team) secured a stunning top five finish and the lead rider out of the WorldSSP Challenge riders, finishing just ahead of Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) in sixth place and 2019 WorldSSP300 Champion Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) in seventh.

Oettl was in eighth place at the timing point the results were collected from with Miquel Pons (Dynavolt Honda) finished in ninth place; equalling his best finish in WorldSSP. Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) completed the top ten with a tenth-place finish, the Italian securing his best result of the 2020 season.

Loris Cresson (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) finished in 11th place with Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team), Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing), Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) completing the point-scoring positions. Perolari, who had been leading the race in the early stages, finished in 16th place while Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) finished in 18th after showing strong pace in the dry. Oscar Gutierrez (GMT94 Yamaha) had showed strong pace in the dry but lost out due to the timing of the red flag, finishing in 19th place on his debut.

Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) was taken to the medical centre following a crash in the early stages of the race, where he was diagnosed with a right-hand contusion. He will have further assessments following that diagnosis.

WorldSSP Race 1 Podium

1. Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing)
2. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
3. Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha)

WorldSSP Race 2: Locatelli crowned WorldSSP Champion after battling for Race 2 victory

Italian rookie Andrea Locatelli wins his tenth race of the season to secure his first World Championship as Yamaha seal manufacturers’ title.

A fightback in the race after a poor start allowed Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) to be crowned World Champion in the 2020 FIM Supersport World Championship after battling his way from fifth to the front of the field at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the first ever Acerbis Catalunya Round.

Locatelli had started from pole position but found himself down in fifth place after the opening handful of laps with Locatelli not taking risks in the early stages, despite falling behind Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). It would take until Lap 5 for Locatelli to start making moves, first passing Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) into Turn 1 before he passed Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) a lap later.

The title-winning move came on Lap 9 as he made a move on both Mahias and Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing); Locatelli forcing Mahias wide and onto the run-off between Turns 1 and 2 although Oettl was able to pass Locatelli shortly after. Locatelli then extended his gap at the front to just over two seconds as he secured victory and the World Championship.

Mahias finished the race in second place, meaning Yamaha secured the Manufacturers’ Championship with Mahias finishing second onboard his Kawasaki. Mahias was joined by teammate Oettl on the podium, with Mahias getting past Oettl with a handful of laps to go but unable to close the gap to Locatelli.

De Rosa secured a fourth placed finish, less than a second away from the podium, with Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) in fifth, his first top five since Portimao Race 2 as the South African continues to impress in WorldSSP. Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) finished in sixth place, finishing ahead of Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team); the 2019 WorldSSP300 Champion penalised three seconds for track limits infringements.

Perolari fell down the order in the latter stages of the race to finish in eighth place with Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) in ninth; the British rider securing another top ten finish – his fifth in the last six races. Estonian Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) completed the top ten, finished just over a second behind Webb.

Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) just missed out on a top ten finish with 11th place with Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) in 12th place; the highest placed WorldSSP Challenge rider as he finished less than a tenth ahead of WorldSSP Challenge rider Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team) in 13th. Race 1 winner Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) finished in 14th place as Loris Cresson (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) completed the points.

There was a collision on the run down to Turn 1 at the start between Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) and Patrick Hobelsberger (Dynavolt Honda) with Hobelsberger taken to the medical centre for a check-up before being diagnosed with a left hip contusion and suspected pelvic injury. He will be transferred to hospital for further assessments. Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) crashed on Lap 2 of the race while Kyle Smith (GMT94 Yamaha) and teammate Oscar Gutierrez came together on the same lap; all three riders retiring from the race.

WorldSSP Race 2 Podium

1. Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
2. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +2.159s
3. Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +4.252s

WorldSSP Championship Standings After Race 2

1. Andrea Locatelli (ITA) Yamaha (263 points)
2. Lucas Mahias (FRA) Kawasaki (159 points)
3. Jules Cluzel (FRA) Yamaha (146 points)

Words courtesy of worldsbk.com and photos courtesy Graeme Brown