World Superbikes

11th July 2018

Rea Seals Misano Double

Fourth place in race one gave Michael van der Mark pole position for World Superbike’s second race of the weekend in Misano, and with the pace he displayed in Saturday’s race one the Dutchman had a prime opportunity to take his third World Superbike win.

But it was Xavi Fores, from third on the grid, who made the holeshot, and took the early lead in race two, and in the early stages he led well, until his Barni Racing Ducati expired on the second lap of the race. It was a tough blow for Fores, who returned to the front in Rimini after a few difficult races since Donington, and a podium – which was on the cards, it would have been the perfect way for the Spaniard to go into the eternal summer break.

The retirement of Fores let Van der Mark into the lead, a position which he relished. Battling behind between Jonathan Rea, Tom Sykes, Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies – especially between Rea and Melandri when the Northern Irishman was trying to take second place from the Italian – allowed the Donington double winner to create an advantage, and before too long the #60 Pata Yamaha was over one second up the street.

It was about at this point that Rea finally dispatched Melandri and with nine laps to go set on after the 2014 World Supersport Champion. It took the reigning champion all of about three laps to catch Van der Mark, but unlike the other seven riders he had fought past in the race to this point, Magic Michael put up a defence strong enough to keep Rea behind. Rea had been making moves in turn three, turn six and turn fourteen almost with ease to this point in the race, but Van der Mark rode superbly to keep him at bay for a number of laps.

The battling at the front allowed Marco Melandri to catch the two leaders, at which point Rea dealt with Van der Mark. Melandri then had the opportunity to take second place from Van der Mark and challenge Rea for the win, but was unable to set something up. It was a tense ending to the race, but with each of the three riders in the front group having just enough to keep them out of range of the rider behind, it was a stalemate from the beginning of lap nineteen to the flag; Jonathan Rea leading over the line from Michael van der Mark and Marco Melandri.

WSBK 2018 Misano race 2 Podium. Image courtesy of Ducati

Rea’s victory was an important one, as it was his third double in the last five rounds and took him 92 points clear at the top of the championship – out of range. It’s difficult to find words for Jonathan Rea anymore. He controlled the first race of the weekend from lights to flag, and then made a perfect start in the second race which was followed by some tough battling and sublime overtaking. Once again, he showed his knowledge of the Pirelli tyres and how to get the maximum out of them, hauling the bike up on the exit of every corner like no other to minimise spin without too much electronic intervention. This has been a common trait of Rea’s riding since he arrived at Kawasaki in 2015 and realised that, whilst the overall package of the ZX10-R was an improvement over his previous machine, he wouldn’t be able to run the corner speed of the Honda with the Kawasaki. Instead, Rea changed his style to break hard and late, trail braking deeper into the corner than any other rider – somehow without ever losing the front – and then using the power of the Kawasaki to fire him out of the corner. This style has only been exaggerated this year with the rev limits which have been placed on the Kawasaki limiting both its top speed and, more importantly, its acceleration. These limitations which have been placed on the Kawasaki this year have basically made it essential for their riders to make all their lap time on the brakes, and this is where the difference is between Rea and teammate Tom Sykes, because Rea is more confident braking late and on angle than Sykes, and even when the reigning champion gets out of shape in the braking zone, he can still make the apex. This is in part because Rea has tremendous front feel, but also because the bike is quite clearly set up in a way to suit this style perfectly. Rea’s advantage in this area has been visible all season, especially on Sunday in the second Misano race, and for the most part it is why he is able to win so many races.

Michael van der Mark’s second place was an important one after a tough Laguna Seca round, and being hampered by a poor Superpole for the first race. It could have been a win had it not been for the mastery of Rea, but then, without Rea, the championship fight would actually be, well, a fight. Either way, Van der Mark rode beautifully and in the laps where he was being challenged by Rea his replies were superb, his answers to Rea’s probes were ones which no other rider could imitate. He adapted his lines to match Rea’s attacks, and whilst he was overcome in the end, his performance was perhaps the best of any pilot in the field in this race.

Marco Melandri at Misano. Image courtesy of Ducati

Third place for Marco Melandri was partly disappointing, but also very positive for the Italian. Firstly, it was disappointing for Melandri because he could have won. This was not only because he was there in the front trio, but also because he suffered a lot on Friday, and losing both FP3 and FP4 was critical for his weekend, as it cost him time to adapt for the new front tyre which Pirelli took to Misano, and was the popular choice amongst the riders for both races. The first race turned into a test for Marco, trying to work out what he needed to make the new tyre work, and the warm up was in the same vein. In the end, it worked for Melandri, as he was able to fight for the win, but the point is that had he not lost the third and fourth sessions of the weekend he may well have been able to challenge harder for the win. But, this is racing. Unfortunately for Melandri, he has to hold onto the positivity of the progress made between Saturday and Sunday in Misano for 9 weeks before World Superbike returns in September at Portimao.

Chaz Davies ended the race over two seconds off the win, which will be a disappointment after he made such a positive start, making moves on many riders and looking like he had the pace. However, the longer the race went on, the longer it became clear that Davies would be without a second trophy from Misano. Being 92 points back in the championship, it’s pretty much rostrum or hospital now for Davies, not because he can still win the title if he does that but because no one goes racing to not come home with a cup.

It was a second fifth place of the weekend for Tom Sykes. After the Kawasaki garage exploded in Brno, and the scything words from Sykes aimed towards both Rea and his crew chief, it was to be expected that the 2013 World Champion might have put up a bit of a fight against Jonathan Rea, but that never came. It looks like Sykes has lost a bit of motivation, and to me it seems like the best thing that can happen for Tom right now is for him to get this season over with, get out of Kawasaki, to a new manufacturer where he feels more comfortable and then perhaps we can see him back at his unbeatable best.

Sixth place went to Alex Lowes, who was looking for pretty much anything after two crashes in the first race. Finishing six seconds off his teammate won’t have pleased him too much, but coming from twelfth was always going to be difficult, as he noted himself both before and after the race. Now Lowes goes to Japan, and the Suzuka 8 Hour along with his Pata Yamaha teammate, Michael van der Mark and many other World Superbike riders, as well as about half the British Superbike grid, to try to win for the fourth successive time in the biggest single race of the year.

Lorenzo Savadori took seventh place, beating teammate and Saturday’s third place man, Eugene Laverty, over the line. Laverty put his downturn in both pace and result between Saturday and Sunday down to the rear tyre, which he claimed had no grip in the second race. It has been the target of Aprilia and SMR all season to give Laverty a bike which has some rear grip. They finally arrived at that point in Laguna, and continued that in Misano, at least until the end of the first race, and the podiums that arrived when they found him some rear grip served as proof that Laverty is still a top runner when he has what he wants, so to lose that on Sunday to what seems like a tyre problem was a big shame for Laverty. But Portimao is next for the Northern Irishman, and his target there is to win – he has nine weeks to think about how to do that.

Ninth place went to Loris Baz, and he finished ahead of Leon Camier who rounded out the top ten. Camier is another of the riders heading out to Suzuka. Leon is riding the first full factory HRC Honda there has been in a long time, as they look to end Yamaha’s winning streak at Honda’s home circuit.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi at Misanso 2018. Image courtesy of Ducati

Michael Ruben Rinaldi showed a big improvement in race two compared to the rest of the weekend, but could still only manage eleventh place, whilst the injured Toprak Razgatlioglu was twelfth. Nicolo Canepa scored thirteenth in his third wildcard race of the season, as he beat Jake Gagne home, whilst Roman Ramos rounded out the points.

Yonny Hernandez was sixteenth, and Leandro Mercado re-mounted his Orelac Racing Kawasaki after a crash early on to be the last of the seventeen finishers.

Jordi Torres retired at the end of lap one when his MV expired, and half a lap later Fores’ Panigale blew. Karel Hanika’s replacement, Alessandro Andreozzi, retired with six laps to go and PJ Jacobsen went out with two to go.

Now the Superbike World Championship heads for its nine-week-long summer break, after which it heads to the Autodromo do Algarve in Portimao.

11th July 2018

Rea Takes Ninth 2018 Win in Misano

It was Tom Sykes who qualified on pole position, his seventh consecutive Misano pole position, for the Rimini Riviera round of the 2018 Superbike World Championship. However, it was Jonathan Rea who, believe it or not, looked fastest on the race pace. Sykes had to make a start to try to hold Rea in the early stages of the race to try to keep the Northern Irishman in reach, but the reigning champion got a great jump from the middle of the front row, and got to turn one first.

From there, Rea edged out his lead and, whilst there was a reasonable amount of battling behind, none of it was any trouble for Rea, who did not see another rider’s front tyre for the whole race. It was vintage Jonathan Rea, and a perfect illustration of a few things, notably what can happen when bike and rider are working perfectly in unison, that the combination of Rea and ZX10-RR is the best one on the grid, and also that Jonathan Rea is the best rider of the current crop. Of course, many times in the last three years, these things have been displayed by Rea and Kawasaki, but this one was particularly worrying for everyone else thanks to Rea’s admission that, in reality, he was nowhere near the limit.

Chaz Davis at Misano 2018. Image courtesy Ducati media

Closer to his limit was Chaz Davies. He only qualified seventh and, throughout the weekend, had been struggling with pace on the fresh tyres. However, he made a brilliant start, almost passing Eugene Laverty for third into turn two, but going round the outside in the middle of the Variante del Parco was never going to work for the Ducati rider, so it was fourth place after lap one for Chaz. However, after five or six laps, when Tom Sykes started to struggle, he was passed by Laverty and once this happened, Davies was right on the rear wheel of the number 66. It didn’t take much longer for Davies to pass Sykes, taking third place away from the Kawasaki rider in turn eight with a beautiful, sideways-on move. He then struggled to catch Laverty, but with a drop in pace and ultimately a mistake from the Northern Irishman at the final corner, Davies was through. From there, it was a fairly comfortable five or so laps for the Welshman, and second place it was in the end at the second home round for Ducati. A win would be the goal for Chaz and Ducati, but with the searing pace of Rea, even when he isn’t pushing, the struggles of Ducati and with both of them coming from row three. After the 1^st race it is hard to imagine that the Fratelli d’Italia will be aired on the 2^nd race’s podium.

Despite a broken sensor, which caused the drop in pace and the mistake which let Davies through, Eugene Laverty managed to bring the Aprilia home for a second consecutive podium finish. It was another brilliant ride from Laverty, and at a circuit which he was concerned about ahead of the weekend due to the number of heavy braking zones and the difficulty in getting the RSV4 stopped. However, his fears were clearly unnecessary, as his pace was good enough for second. Thus, he will be disappointed with third, but a podium seemed a long way away a few weeks ago and all of a sudden he has two in two races. Coming from row three will be a tough task for Eugene in Race two, especially considering who is on pole, but his pace means you cannot rule him out of yet another podium fight.

The rider on pole position in race 2 is Michael van der Mark, who made a brilliant recovery from a difficult Friday and a difficult SP2 session, in which he qualified P11 only, to finish fourth. He nearly had a podium, but he just needed a little bit more time to catch Laverty. But, anyway, Magic Michael, from pole position in Race Two, has a great opportunity to take a podium, or maybe even a victory.

Tom Sykes could only manage fifth place from pole position in Race One. After five laps his pace dropped and, although he could keep pace with Davies for a couple of laps after the Welshman passed him, he was unable to stay there for long, and once Van der Mark was in range, Sykes had nothing left to fight with. It seems the situation inside Kawasaki is having a very negative effect on Sykes.

Sixth place went to Xavi Fores who has had a good weekend in Misano. The Spaniard, riding for the Italian Barni Racing Team, was sporting a special Tricolore livery and with it he beat the factory Panigale of Marco Melandri, who was seventh, and a disappointing seventh at that. However, Melandri did put a stunning move on Lorenzo Savadori between turns twelve and thirteen for that seventh place, although it was a shame that the move was for P7, and not, say, the lead. That left Savadori in eighth place, having shot his tyre by the end, and just ahead of Leon Camier in ninth place. Leandro Mercado rounded out the top ten.

PJ Jacobsen. Image courtesy of Honda ProRacing

Toprak Razgatlioglu was eleventh place – impressive considering his discomfort – ahead of Nicolo Canepa the Yamaha wildcard; Roman Ramos, Jake Gagne who raced much better than he qualified, Alessandro Andreozzi, PJ Jacobsen, Michael Ruben Rinaldi who had many problems during Race One and ended up pitting and re-joining the race three laps down; and finally Jordi Torres who was four laps down after a crash and a trip to the pits.

Loris Baz, Yonny Hernandez and Alex Lowes (with two crashes) were the only retirements.

5th July 2018

Rea Takes Seventh 2018 Win in US WorldSBK Race One

Chaz Davies was on pole ahead of race one of the eighth round of the 2018 Superbike World Championship, but it was Jonathan Rea who, as you might expect, was favourite to take the race win, despite qualifying third.
Straight away off the line, Rea was past his teammate, Tom Sykes, for P2, and then set his sights on Chaz Davies. He had a look to pass the Welshman at the final corner on the first lap, but Davies squared the corner off to undercut the championship leader and beat him on the run out of the corner.

From then on, Davies and Rea stayed in line, Rea content to remain behind the Ducati as it pulled him clear of the rest of the pack. But, unexpectedly, Davies then started to pull away from Rea, and had about half a second before he locked the front at the top of the Corkscrew, and was forced to release the brake, run wide and let the #1 Kawasaki through.

After that, Rea was imperious and although Davies was able to keep contact with the Northern Irishman for a while after his mistake, with about ten laps to go that contact was relinquished, and the reigning champion stormed to his seventh win of 2018, extending his championship lead over Davies back out to seventy points.

As usual, Rea was immaculate in this race one. He made almost no mistakes the whole race, took his opportunity when it arose, kept hold of his tyre beautifully and finally took what was a well deserved win, however expected it was.

However, Rea admitted to being surprised about the pace of Davies, and how long the Welshman was able to keep at the front. Perhaps the key for Davies was using the older-spec, smaller rear tyre, which most have dismissed since the newer, larger tyre came in at Donington. Certainly, since that newer tyre arrived, Davies had seemed lass comfortable with the Panigale, which is interesting because the tyre has typically worked better for the taller riders, of which Davies is one. Either way, reverting to the smaller tyre seemed to work for him, and although he couldn’t fight until the end for the victory, he might not have even made the podium with the big tyre. Also, Davies chose the softest option rear, whereas almost everyone else chose the hardest; perhaps choosing a harder tyre, as well as some more changes, could bring Davies into play later in the race in race two, if he can get through the pack from row three as quickly as Rea.

Alex Lowes took his second consecutive World Superbike podium with third place, after his debut win in Brno a fortnight ago. It was a strange race for Lowes, simply because he seemed to be pushing on a lot for what he surely knew would be little reward. That said, we saw very little of him once he passed Tom Sykes at the top of the Corkscrew, so maybe what we did see was an anomaly. Either way, being so far clear in that third place at a circuit which has not favoured the Yamaha in recent years at all is a positive for the Crescent team, even if they were twelve seconds off the win. It will be interesting to see what Lowes can do from the head of the third row in race two. Laguna is a tough circuit to pass on – although obviously no one told Alex that, seeing his passes in race one – so he will need a good start if he is to fight for the podium again.

Eugene Laverty took his second fourth place in succession. The first lap was a tough one for Norge, dropping behind both Lowes and his teammate Lorenzo Savadori to sixth place. He maintained his tyres and towards the end of the race, he was able to fend of the resurgent Ducatis of Marco Melandri and Xavi Fores, who were coming back to him at the end, to hold onto the fourth place he took from Sykes in the same place which Lowes past the #66 Kawasaki: the top of the Corkscrew. The key for Laverty has been discovering some rear grip with the RSV4, which he has been searching for since the beginning of the season. Like Davies, Laverty suffered with the new tyre, but persevered with it and is now feeling the benefit of that. Starting from pole in race 2, Laverty has a genuine chance to make the podium for the first time since 2014.

Marco Melandri at Laguna Seca.Image courtesy of Ducati.

Marco Melandri had a strange race. He came through the pack fairly well in the beginning of the race, but after passing Xavi Fores, he seemed to make a mistake, as he dropped back behind the Spaniard, only to re-pass him in the final laps. Ultimately, he did not have enough to pass Laverty for the reverse grid pole, but if he can get away well in race two from the front row, he has the opportunity to make a good race and fight for the podium – maybe even the win.

It was sixth place for Xavi Fores, who saw a return to form, and finished a massive seven seconds ahead of Tom Sykes, who had a nightmare. It seemed like Sykes’ rear tyre started to drop after about five laps, by lap ten it was dead and by the end of the race it had started to rot and the maggots had arrived. With such a dramatic drop off (he ended the race twenty-five seconds off the win), Sykes had no chance of fighting for any position and from the outside it seems he needs a miracle to reverse his fortunes for the second race.

Michael van der Mark continued his difficult weekend, finishing only eighth, fourteen seconds down on teammate, Alex Lowes. It looks like Magic Michael needs to live up to his name if he is to improve for race two, he just hasn’t looked competitive all weekend.

Jordi Torres was ninth, ahead of home rider, Jake Gagne who took his first top ten of the season, in tenth. Perhaps this is what Gagne needs to kickstart his season, albeit seven rounds late. Now Gagne is in circuits he knows he might be able to show a more competitive pace.

Yonny Hernandez was eleventh; Roman Ramos came from the back of the grid to twelfth; Karel Hanika (replacing Ondrej Jezek in Guandalini Yamaha) made his World Superbike debut in thirteenth; Lorenzo Savadori crashed at the final corner on lap two but got back on to get two points in fourteenth; Loris Baz also crashed, and was the final finisher in fifteenth, so like Savadori still scored points.

Leandro Mercado, PJ Jacobsen, Leon Camier, Josh Herrin and Toprak Razgatlioglu all retired. It was especially a shame for Herrin, who had shown strong pace over the course of the weekend.

Again, the biggest question from race one: can anyone stop Jonathan Rea?

Featured Image courtesy of Ducati.

23rd June 2018

Can Anyone Stop Rea in Laguna Seca?

This weekend, the 2018 Superbike World Championship heads to California, and the Laguna Seca circuit, home of the famous “Corkscrew”. Negotiating turns eight and nine efficiently this weekend will be critical to achieving a good result, but the puzzle of Laguna Seca is not only limited to its most famous section. Coming over the crest of a hill at turn one on full lean angle and at around 160mph gives a breath-taking start to the lap, which leads straight into the second turn at the double-apex Andretti Hairpin. The complexity of this section means mistakes are inevitable across the weekend, so minimising having a setting to give good confidence when braking on angle is essential for this part of the track. Then the circuit flows right into turns three and four. Three is merely a kink, but it is important to take a good line to be able to make a good turn four. At the same time, in the race, the layout of this part of the track means that the fastest line also leaves you open to a pass, so finding the right compromise will be important in the early laps.

Turn five is a fairly simple, flat right hander, but the radius combined with the relative lack of camber means that it is easy to get sucked in, but the important thing here is the corner exit, because there is then a reasonably long run to turn six through the un-numbered right kink. There is a lot of camber to offer a lot of support in turn six, meaning there is potential for a pass. Turn seven is very fast, on the left side of the tyre. As Always the riders are on the limit of the track boundaries on the exit, and track boundaries in Laguna are enforced not by the Race Direction but by the run-off areas themselves, which are largely gravel – rest easy Mr. Haydon. After the run down the Corkscrew, it is the tricky Rainey Corner, where the riders push the front hard as the downhill run continues before another heavily cambered corner at the penultimate turn. Finally, the last corner is the best overtaking spot, as highlighted by Eugene Laverty in 2013, but as Casey Stoner showed in the MotoGP race back in 2008, it is also quite easy to make a race-deciding mistake at turn twelve.

Chaz Davies best mastered the Californian circuit in race one last year, which was a remarkable victory, only two weeks after he was run over by Jonathan Rea in Misano race one. This year, it is not physical issues which have the potential to hinder Davies this weekend, but rather problems with the bike. Davies has struggled since Imola, and especially in Donington and Brno. In Donington, Davies suffered his worst weekend of the season, missing the podium in both races; then, in Brno he suffered again, but with some crashes in race two he was able to make the podium. Laguna has been a good track for both Davies and the Panigale in recent seasons, and the Welshman will be hoping to make a return to the top step.

It was Jonathan Rea who took victory in the second Laguna Seca race last year, and the form he is in at the moment would suggest another double could be coming the way of the new ‘most victorious’ rider in World Superbike history. He took that record from Carl Fogarty in race one in Brno two weeks ago, but contact with his KRT teammate Tom Sykes left him as a spectator from lap three in the second race. The frustration from the incident was put to one side, though, as he put pen to paper on a new two-year deal to pilot the ZX-10RR until 2021. As for this weekend, Rea and Davies have been the two to beat around Laguna since 2015, and with the Welshman currently in a difficult moment, this weekend could well be a Johnny Rea domination.

But maybe Marco Melandri can take it to the reigning World Champion. He should have won race two in Brno but made a mistake at turn three which put him out of contention. Melandri made the podium last year in race two, and may prove to be the only rider with any hope of stopping Rea taking yet another double. However, if his instability issues reappear this weekend, Melandri could have a bigger problem in Laguna than anywhere else – few places require total confidence, especially in the front end, as the Weathertech Raceway.

What about Sykes? Well, he took two wins in Laguna – one in 2013 on his way to the championship, and the other in 2014 when he shared the winning that day with Melandri, the last time the Italian won in Laguna. He took a pair of second places in 2015 behind Chaz Davies and in front of Rea both times, before he took a third US win in 2016. A podium was followed by a crash two weeks ago, and with his record in Laguna Seca, this weekend could offer an opportunity for Sykes to expand on his solitary victory of 2018 so far.

Perhaps the biggest question for this weekend is: what can the Yamahas do? Three race wins out of the last four races, across both riders, and including a double for Michael van der Mark in Donington one month ago leave the R1s under significantly more pressure to perform and achieve big results, especially with the Ducati riders having fairly large question marks over the heads of their competitiveness, as well as Sykes. The Pata Yamaha riders could be the biggest contenders to Rea this season, ad they have to be in a good position to be able to try to challenge the championship leader.

The Aprilias could also have something to say this weekend, with Eugene Laverty making good progress at Brno a couple of weeks back, taking a sixth in race one and a fourth in race two. He was backed up, too, by Lorenzo Savadori who, despite having a bonfire underneath his rear tyre for most of both races, managed to shadow his Milwaukee Aprilia teammate to take seventh in race one and fifth in race two. Coming here, Laverty was confident of being able to achieve podium results, and the progress in the last races would point towards being able to get near that. Maybe they are quite far away, still, but with some luck they might be able to get themselves on the box. Laguna has been a good circuit for Laverty in the past. He only has two podiums, but has only ever raced there once on competitive machinery, in 2013 (when both podiums came), including a stunning win in the second race that year.

There are also three Americans on the grid this weekend: the two WSBK regulars, Triple M Honda’s PJ Jacobsen and Red Bull Honda’s Jake Gagne; and the wildcard Josh Herrin on a Yamaha.

Feature image courtesy of hondanews.eu

16th June 201816th June 2018

Lowes Takes First WSBK Win in Brno

After his domination of the first race at the Czech round of the 2018 Superbike World Championship, it was difficult to see anyone defeating Jonathan Rea, by this point the most victorious rider in World Superbike history, in the second outing in Brno.

However, Tom Sykes saw to that. On lap three of the race, after starting from ninth place thanks to the reverse grid rules, Rea tried a move on Sykes for sixth place at turn twelve, before the run up ‘Horsepower Hill’, but ran wide. Sykes, as you might expect, squared the corner off and tried to beat Rea out of the corner. Unfortunately, though, the pair made contact and Rea ended up in the gravel. That is the essence of what happened, but it did not end there.

Whilst the race was continuing, Rea stood at the side of the track and offered a sarcastic applause to his KRT teammate, obviously not impressed by what happened, and after the race he explained that he felt that Sykes ran into him on purpose, citing the 2013 World Champion’s line on the exit of the corner compared to Eugene Laverty’s in front as evidence since Sykes was out a little wider than Laverty. Rea also questioned why it always seems to be only with him that Sykes can fight and ultimately blamed his teammate for the incident. Obviously, Sykes himself had a different perspective on the incident and felt that Race Direction were correct in their verdict that it was a ‘racing incident’ and so took no action. Whatever opinion you have on this, you have to admit that there is no a clear rupture in the Kawasaki Racing Team garage, and the unsurprising continuation of Rea in Kawasaki – which was announced the following day – may also indicate that the number 66 is leaving the ZX10-RR at the end of 2018 to look for greener (bluer) grass in another garage.

Back to the race and, one lap later, Marco Melandri took the lead at turn one from Alex Lowes. Two corners after that, the Italian was in the gravel, his victory hopes gone. All of a sudden, the race was blown wide open: Rea, serial winner, was out; Melandri, the Brno specialist was out of contention and the two Yamaha riders were leading from Chaz Davies and Eugene Laverty.

Chas Davis. Image courtesy of ducati media

Given the struggles of Davies in the Czech Republic, a round which had not shown an upturn in form for the Welshman after a tough Donington, it was hard to see him getting near the Yamahas of Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes. The Yamaha riders were the first to try the new, wider, taller Pirelli tyre and it was one of the things which helped Michael van der Mark take the double back in the UK. On the other hand, Davies had struggled since its introduction and it would not be a ludicrous assumption that missing something with this new tyre is a major factor in the number 7’s current struggles – although, it is a surprise that it is he that is struggling, not the diminutive Melandri.

So, with Davies on the limit and with no answer to either of the two Pata Yamaha R1s, it was down to the Anglo-Dutch leading pair to decide who should be the victor: would Lowes take his first World Superbike victory, his first of any kind since the first British Superbike race at Assen in 2013; or would Van der Mark take his third win in four races on his first Brno visit? Judging by race one, it should have been Magic Michael’s all day – he had better pace than Lowes, and by the midpoint of race two he was making an impression on the 2013 British Champion. But Lowes responded. He managed the gap well and with three laps to go he seemed to break Van der Mark’s spirit as the Dutchman seemed to settle in for second place behind his teammate and be content with completing Yamaha’s first World Superbike 1-2 since Portimao 2011 when Marco Melandri led Eugene Laverty home at the Portuguese circuit. And that is how it went. In the end, Michael let Alex go and the Brit took a first win that has been a very long time coming, and a well-deserved one at that, too.

It was a stunning ride from Lowes. So many times we have seen him faulter in promising positions, especially back in the Suzuki days. But on Sunday the #22 showed off the revolutionised Alex Lowes; the rational, calm and consistent rider that began to emerge in the beginning of last season and who has begun to flourish in 2018 and this victory is just deserves for the change in attitude he took for 2017. In the preview for this weekend, I asked the question of whether the motivation Lowes gained from his teammate’s double victory in Donington would be enough to overcome Van der Mark this weekend should they end up in a position where they both had the opportunity to win, and he showed that it was.

Marco Melandri. Image courtesy of Ducati media

Perhaps more importantly, the win showed that the Yamaha is a genuine race-winning motorcycle. For sure, Rea and Sykes (in a separate incident to the one already discussed) crashed, Davies struggled and Melandri cost himself a chance of the win, but Yamaha still had to capitalise and they did so with a stunning 1-2. From now the most important thing for Yamaha is to manage expectations: ultimately they still aren’t quite at the level of Kawasaki or Ducati, but they are getting closer, and perhaps that is the most important thing.

Behind the podium trio of Lowes, Van der Mark and Davies (a great result for Davies, by the way, after another really tough weekend), Eugene Laverty brought home his Milwaukee Aprilia RSV4 in fourth place – his and the team’s best result of the season and proof of further steps forward from the SMR team, despite Aprilia’s limited interest in WSBK. Still, though, Laverty is complaining of his classic rear grip issues and whilst it is improving it is still not where he would like it. Amongst rumours of the team’s switch to Suzuki or BMW for next season, this result is quite positive in terms of the team’s chances of staying with Aprilia for 2019. What is not so positive is the signs coming from Noale, which all point towards furthering their efforts in MotoGP, highlighted by statements from Romano Albesiano after they announced the signing of Andrea Iannone to the MotoGP outfit for next year, in which he spoke of Aprilia’s increased commitment in GPs. Whilst Lorenzo Savadori backed up Laverty’s fourth place with a fifth of his own, you can’t help but feel there will be some different machinery behind the Milwaukee logos for next year.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi . Image courtesy of Ducati media

Following the two Aprilias over the line was in sixth, again impressing on the Aruba.it Junior Team Ducati. Once more, it was tyre wear towards the end of the race that cost the Italian-Venezuelan a chance to finish further up, but his ability is shining through this year. Unfortunately for Michael, he now has a four-week break until his next race in Misano. He is only doing the European races this season so he will therefore miss the next round of the World Championship in Laguna Seca.

Leon Camier will not miss Laguna, and will hopefully be in a better physical condition than this weekend when he arrives in California for round eight of the season. Of course, Leon is still suffering with pain and discomfort from his crash in Aragon back in round three of the series, but that did not stop him taking another top ten on Sunday with seventh place, another good result on the Red Bull Honda.

Xavi Fores completed yet another frustrating weekend, although nowhere near as bad as Donington, with an eighth place on the Barni Racing Ducati. It has been some slump from the Spaniard in the last few rounds, but hopefully he can return to the form that saw him take so many podiums in the first part of the season in the races coming up.

Toprak Razgatlioglu ensured he took two top tens away from his first ever race weekend in Brno with a ninth in race two to follow on from his tenth place in race one. This was the target set for him by the Puccetti Racing Kawasaki team, so despite it not being the stunning second place of race two in Donington, the Turkish rider should be happy with his weekend.

Roman Ramos rounded out the top ten on Sunday, to take his first finish inside the first ten riders of 2018. The new engine revs regulations have hit the customer Kawasaki teams extremely hard because, unlike KRT, they do not have the resources to find ways around the harsh rev limits placed on the ZX10-RR, but it seems that Ramos and the GoEleven Kawasaki team are finding their way, and hopefully the Spaniard can have a better second half of the season.

Loris Baz finished a disappointing eleventh – you get the feeling that both he and Althea Racing cannot wait to get to the end of the season so that they both can see the back of the BMW because they just do not seem to be getting the support they need to make progress.

Twelfth place went to Jake Gagne, again a way off Camier but again at a circuit he does not know. It will be interesting to see what Gagne can do at Laguna, a track he knows well, because he needs to prove himself. He did, at least, beat PJ Jacobsen on the Triple M Honda who finished thirteenth, ahead of Yonny Hernandez and Marco Melandri who, after his excursion early in the race, finished fifteenth albeit without his rear brake pedal.

After a weird crash at turn ten which should have high-sided him but thankfully did not (thus highlighting the lack of grip in the intense Czech summer heat) Tom Sykes finished a lowly sixteenth, no doubt to the minor amusement of his teammate, Rea, but disappointment of Kawasaki, who ended Sunday with no more points than they had at the end of Saturday. Leandro Mercado and home rider Ondrej Jezek were the last of the eighteen finishers. Apart from Rea, only Jordi Torres failed to finish the race.

Drama and intrigue surrounded this race, but the biggest talking point is still Yamaha and their resurgence, this time spearheaded by Alex Lowes. Laguna Seca is next, previously a very good circuit for Ducati, but also for Rea and even Aprilia – Laverty is eyeing a podium. Can Yamaha win again in California, or will normal service be resumed by the World Championship leader and record breaking Jonathan Rea?

Featured Image courtesy of Ducati media

8th June 2018

World Superbike Heads to Brno for the First Time Since 2012

World Superbike is in a very interesting situation; in fact, it is in the same situation as MotoGP was back in 2016, after Andrea Iannone took Ducati’s first win in six years at the Austrian Grand Prix, Ducati then became a threat, a realistic option for a race win in most races. In this instance, in World Superbike, it has been Michael van der Mark who has brought Yamaha into the realm of realistic contention for race wins. Now, instead of hoping for a win, Yamaha have to expect wins.

Going into Brno, there is no reason why they cannot win. Nobody has been to Brno, apart from the test earlier this year between the Dutch and Italian rounds of the World Championship, since World Superbike last raced there in 2012, when Marco Melandri on the factory BMW took both victories. Melandri also won in 2011, when he was aboard the Yamaha, sharing the wins with Max Biaggi on the Aprilia. Of course, it would be a surprise to see a BMW on the top step in the Czech Republic this weekend, given the lack of support Loris Baz and the Althea Racing team receive from Germany, although they expect to be able to continue their good form from Donington where Loris Baz qualified second for the first race of the weekend.

But with Yamaha’s recent gains, especially in cool conditions, it would not be out of the question that we could see Yamaha challenging again this weekend and, theoretically, the nature of the circuit should lend itself to the R1, since power is not what makes or breaks a lap in this circuit and corner speed is essential. But if Yamaha do continue their winning streak this weekend, will it be Michael van der Mark or Alex Lowes who does the winning? For sure, after his teammate’s double win in Donington, Lowes will be fired up for this weekend, but will that be a match for Van der Mark’s undoubtedly heightened confidence?

For Aprilia, it would be a surprise if they were to match the victory of Biaggi in 2011, the bike just is not there yet. After Eugene Laverty’s promise in Donington was let down by a sticking throttle, he will be after redemption this weekend, whilst Lorenzo Savadori will be hoping to build on his impressive form from the UK round of the World Championship. The positive for Aprilia is that they should have the power to launch them up ‘Horsepower Hill’, but will they have the chassis and the balance to get them through the rest of the lap with decent efficiency?

Kawasaki can never be discounted, though. It was a surprise to not see them take a win in Donington, partly because Tom Sykes has been so successful there over the years, but also because the layout perfectly suits the fluid riding style of the reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea. The current championship leader has the unusual ability to be able to run both high corner speed and stop-start riding styles in the same moment, which is perfect for Donington: running high apex speed in the first half of the lap is critical, whilst in the second half of the lap, through the Melbourne Loop, braking performance and acceleration are key. Somehow, Rea and his team manage to get the bike set up for both. In Brno, he will only need one, though, the corner speed. For sure, the braking stability and acceleration are important to be able to get in and out of the big ‘ess’ bends of Brno effectively, but you can counteract that well by running well through the middle of the corner with a lot of speed to carry good momentum, and that is typically what teams look for in Brno.

Furthermore, the KRT pair of Rea and Sykes are two of only four current World Superbike riders who have finished on the podium in Brno, along with Marco Melandri and Loris Baz. In fact, Rea is the only rider other than Melandri on the current grid to have won in Brno, which he did back in 2010 aboard the Castrol Ten Kate Honda. With this in mind, you might consider that the field will have a tough time beating either of the factory Kawasaki riders this weekend, but that was the thought going into Donington, and look what happened there. Moreover, Brno’s emphasis on corner speed severely hinders, in theory, Sykes who prefers the stop-start style of riding, and tends to run quite low corner speed. Finally, should both KRT riders be on the podium in race one, which is always likely, they will of course be starting on row three for race two and, whilst it might be expected that Rea should make a good start, the same thing might not be applicable to Sykes, who finds it difficult to overtake, typically, and that difficulty will only be increased by the difficulty in overtaking in Brno caused by the short straights.

Overall, we should be in for an interesting weekend in Brno, and Friday’s three free practice sessions will tell us a lot about what to expect from the races on Friday and Saturday.

27th May 2018

Double Dutch Delight At Donington

Michael Van der Mark (Pata-Yamaha) secured back-to-back victories this weekend at the British round of the 2018 World Superbike Championship, at Donington Park.

Due to the quirky partially reversed grid rules, the 25-year old began today’s race from ninth place on the grid having taken victory yesterday in race 1. Not that deterred Netherlands’ first superbike race winner one iota. As the lights went out he hooked up a perfect launch off the line, out dragging most of his rivals into the first corner at Redgate. The early laps were spent dicing with Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) over second place. The Aprilia could not live with the relentless pace being set and dropped out of contention for a podium finish.

With Rea kept behind him, the Dutchman set about chasing down the leader, Alex Lowes (Pata-Yamaha). As the laps ticked by, it became apparent that the British rider was struggling for tyre grip. Once he was caught, Van der Mark passing him was simply inevitable. The move was brilliantly executed; having pulled alongside Lowes through the fast switchback craner curves, before squeezing up the inside of his teammate at the old hairpin. Lowes’ troubles would ultimately see him fall back to finish in P4.

However, nothing would deny Van der Mark from completing the double today. Not even a resurgent charge from Rea in the closing laps could worry the Yamaha man – a further reminder (if needed) of his deep reserve of mental strength. Rea ambitiously attempted a do-or-die lunge at the Melbourne hairpin on the penultimate lap, but ran wide. The mistake consigned him to finish in P3, as Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pucetti Kawasaki) pounced to secure second. It was a brilliant ride from the 22-year old, carving his way through the field from tenth on the grid. History made twice in one weekend – today was the first time a Turkish rider has stood on a World Superbike podium.

It was a solid – if unspectacular – day for Aruba.it Ducati and Chaz Davies. The long night spent by the mechanics as they tried to solve the instability problems which have played the Panigale R all weekend. Sacrificing their straight line speed, and focusing on the bike’s ability to corner efficiently, Davies was able to bring home 11 points for a P5 finish. After the troubles the team have faced this weekend, its a result they will take. The other factory rider, Marco Melandri, endured another torrid race. Unable to ride with the confidence to push the bike to its limits, the veteran Italian could only manage P11. Ducati will be desperately hoping their fortunes improve next time out at the Czech round in Brno.

Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda) will be quietly satisfied with his ride to P8 today. Having been forced to sit out the previous round at Imola due to injury, the British rider’s primary objective was to just finish his home round. Job done, and brought home a very respectable tally of points for his troubles. Even a not fully fit Camier is worth his weight in gold for the team as American rookie, Jake Gagne (P13), continues to struggle on his Fireblade machine this season.

Loris Baz (Althea BMW) once again fought tooth and nail for every place he could get. The Frenchman has surprised the field this weekend when he secured his first front row start of his superbike career – the first time in five years for any BMW team. Although he was unable to maintain a front running pace during either of the two races – due to the comparative aging of the BMW machine to the rest of the competition – he was involved in several on-track battles. Most notably today against Jordi Torresc (MV Agusta). The pair spent much of the race locked nose-to-tail as they hounded each other across the parkland track. Eventually though it was the Spaniard who triumphed, securing P9. Baz completed the top ten.

For Milwaukee Aprilia, it was a case of ecstasy and agony. Whilst Savadori battled his way to finish in P7, it was a different story for his teammate Eugene Laverty. Despite starting from the front row of the grid, a bad start left the 31-year old struggling in the midfield. Although he seemed competitive enough to compete with the likes of Camier, Torres and Baz, with eight laps remaining the Aprilia pulled off the circuit. It later transpired that the Irishman had suffered an issue with the wheel speed sensor, which caused a malfunction with the bike’s electronics.

A final note on the wildcards from British Superbikes. Luke Mossey (Pedercini Kawasaki) was the highest finisher in P14, ahead of the Buildbase Suzuki machine of Bradley Ray, who claimed the final points scoring finish in P16. Leon Haslam (Pucetti Kawasaki), having experienced the highs of yesterday experienced the lows of today – crashing out early on in the race and retiring the bike. Gino Rea on the OMG Racing Suzuki was the last classified competitor to finish, in P19.

World Superbikes returns with Round 7 at the Automotodrom Brno, Czechia – June 8th-10th.

26th May 2018

History Made, As Van der Mark Takes Maiden Win

Image: Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport

Michael Van der Mark stunned the field to claim his first victory in the World Superbike Championship as series leader, Jonathan Rea, strengthened his title challenge.

Under gloomy skies, but thankfully dry conditions, the Dutchman left it late to secure the top honours for Race 1 of the UK round. Although being competitive during the practice sessions, the true race pace of the Yamaha R1 was not expected to be at the very front alongside the green machines of the Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT).

With no rider having completed a full race simulation, Van der Mark produced a perfect display of tenacity and tactical awareness – ‘race craft’ to use the cliche – across the 23-lap race duration. Having seen off his Pata Yamaha teammate, Alex Lowes, by the halfway point of the race, ‘Magic Mike’ began to close down the KRT duo of Rea and Tom Sykes.

Any uncertainty over tyre wear was put to rest by the ultra smooth riding style of the Yamaha man, who squeezed his way past Sykes at the Melbourne hairpin, as the Yorkshireman struggled for grip late in the race. Just a couple of laps later, he completed the same move on Rea. Such was his good work at preserving the life in his tyres, that he was able to pull clear of the triple world champion to ensure an historic victory. Van der Mark took his maiden World Superbike win, and also became the first rider from the Netherlands to do so. It was also the first win for any Yamaha team in the championship since Portugal, 2011. The celebrations may well run into the middle of next week.

The KRT riders both finished upon the podium, as to be expected at Donington, although this may well seem an anti-climax for the team, following their record breaking performance earlier in the day in qualifying with Tom Sykes. The 32-year old took the record for most pole positions (44 and counting) from Australian legend Troy Corser. He did it in style, smashing a new pole lap record: 1″26’663. Tyre wear was undoubtedly a problem in the closing stages of today’s race, not helped by the ferocious scrap between himself and Rea during the opening laps.

The defending champion seemed more relieved to have got through the race as well as he did. Speaking post-qualifying he revealed he had only completed short runs in practice, and had no idea how the bike would behave by the end of the race. The second place podium finish means he extends his championship lead to 59 points. Its a healthy advantage but there is no doubt he’s having to fight every step of the way this year.

Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha) finished fourth today after an early race scrap with his teammate. When the leading trio began to pull away, the British rider settled into his rhythm and brought home a valuable total of points for the team. After such a difficult weekend last time out at Imola, this result was very much needed. Any feelings of disappointment today will be tempered by the fact that he does have a bike capable of beating the Kawasaki machines, and that he starts Race 2 tomorrow from pole position.

Milwaukee Aprilia had a very solid race, finishing not far behind Lowes in P5 (Lorenzo Savadori) and P6 (Eugene Laverty). Savadori spent the first half of the race in the leading group on the track, before eventually the relentless pace was too much for the RSV4-RF. Starting tomorrow’s race from the middle of the front row increases the teams chances of being able to fight for a podium finish – not beyond the realms of possibility. Laverty still continued to impress as he is still recovering from serious injuries sustained in Thailand back in March. Although never able to directly challenge his teammate today, the Irishman fought off a resurgent Loris Baz (Althea BMW) who had qualified on the front row, earlier in the day.

Questions will be being asked very loudly, and long into the night, in the Aruba.it Ducati garages. The weekend so far has been nothing short of a disaster for the Italian outfit. Chaz Davies could only manage to finish in P8 whilst his teammate, Marco Melandri, failed to finish following a fast lowside crash at Goddards. Their junior rider, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, could only manage P12. All three of the riders’ bikes have been suffering from lack of stability upon both corner entry and exit, costing them dearly in terms of lap times. It will be a lengthy night for the team as they try and make the bikes competitive for Race 2 tomorrow.

As its the UK round of the series, there were a number of wildcards entering from the British Superbike Championship – five in total. Leon Haslam (Pucetti Kawasaki) was once again competitive around his home circuit. The Derbyshire man hounded his teammate, Toprak Razgatlioglu, across the duration and inherited P8 when the Turkish star unfortunately crashed out on the final lap.

Bradley Ray, racing his BSB-spec Buildbase Suzuki machine managed to bring home points with his finish in P14. Unlike the World Superbike machines, contenders for the British series are not allowed to run electronic aids such as traction control and anti-wheelie systems. As a consequence, the Suzuki was at a disadvantage to the rest of the field.

Luke Mossey (Pedercini Kawasaki) finished in P17, ahead of Gino Rea (OMG Racing Suzuki) in P23. Unfortunately for Mason Law (WD40 Kawasaki), a technical problem with the bike saw him pushed off the grid just prior to the warm up lap, and he never made the start.

23rd May 201823rd May 2018

All Eyes On Rea, As Superbikes Heads Home To Donington

Thirty years ago, on April 3rd 1988, the FIM World Superbike Championship roared into life at the Donington Park circuit as Italian rider Davide Tordozzi, astride a Bimota machine, claimed the first ever race win in the series. As with the passing of time, manufacturers have come and gone – Bimota being much lamented – and the circuit has changed too. Then the Superbikes diced on the shorter 1.98 mile ‘national’ confuguration. When the lights go out at 13:15 BST on Saturday for race 1, the gladiators will be on the famous 2.5 mile grand prix layout.

Equally, the attitude of the spectators has changed. Where there was intrigue in 1988, there is now expectation in 2018 as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) seeks to claim the record for number of race wins in the series, this weekend.

The reigning triple world champion arrives at his home round with a healthy 47-point lead at the top of the standings, following his stunning double last time out at Imola. With its mix of medium and high speed corners, and lack of long straights, Donington Park is a circuit which plays to the strengths of both Rea and his ZX-10RR machine. Having equaled the great Carl Fogarty with 59 race wins, there could be no more fitting venue than here for the record to be broken.

Standing in his way is his team-mate, Tom Sykes. The Yorkshireman has an imperious record around the east midlands track, having recorded a current total of 9 victories. Furthermore, Sykes has not finished outside of a podium position in any of the last 12 races to be held here. The British round of the 2018 season could not have arrived at a more needed time for the Kawasaki man. After the opening five rounds Sykes finds himself in third place in the standings, but a daunting 72 points adrift of Rea. Donington Park is Sykes’ fortress. Nobody can boast as strong a record around this place as he can. Be assured, he will going out all guns blazing to get back into the championship fight, this weekend.

Aruba.it Ducati will be desperate to bounce back after failing to win either of their home races last time out. Despite podium finishes for both Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri, the powers that be in the Ducati Corse department declared the Italian round a disaster, and arranged an ’emergency test’ at the Mugello circuit for the team last week. There is no doubt that the team are now at a crossroads in terms of the development of their machines. Ducati have not been shy of making it known that from 2019 they will field their new V4 Panigale model. As such, the question is now being asked up and down the paddock: how long will the team persist with the 1199 v-twin Panigale, or will they begin to focus their full attention on developing next year’s challenger? With Davies being the closest championship contender, sitting in second place on 162 points, the message from the top brass in Bologna could not be more clear – podiums are not good enough, we’re here to win.

One team who would be satisfied by scoring a podium finish or two this weekend would be the Pata-Yamaha outfit. Michael van der Mark will be desperate to make up for his error last time out at Imola, crashing out in race 2 when he was well set for a good points haul. The Dutch rider has enjoyed a solid start to the season, finding himself in sixth place in the championship with 113 points. Additionally he finds himself leading his team-mate, Alex Lowes (92 points). The Brit had a difficult weekend at Imola, losing a considerable amount of track time during Friday practice, due to a serious mechanical fault with his R1 machine. As a consequence, he was left scrapping across the two races for minor points. Donington is a circuit which the 27-year old has consistently gone well at throughout his British and World Superbike careers. This includes securing Pata-Yamaha’s first podium finish here last year. A repeat performance would relaunch the Lincolnshire man’s campaign.

The battle between the independent riders will be as fierce as always. Whilst it is now a given formality to expect the likes of Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Ducati), Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing Kawasaki) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pucetti Kawasaki) to mix it with the established factory front runners, a new name was catapulted to our attention last time out: Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati Junior Team). Whilst his talent was clear during his time in the Superstock 1000 class last season, nobody expected the 22-year old from Rimini to adapt to life in Superbikes quite so quickly. Unlike the rest of the field, Rinaldi is only competing in the European rounds of the season – a decision made by Ducati to ease his transition into the top class. At Imola he became one of the youngest riders to ever lead a World Superbike race, to underline his potential.

As we’re at Donington this week, there are a number of British wildcard entrants competing this weekend. The most prolific of these being current British Superbike championship leader, Leon Haslam (Pucetti Kawasaki). Having stormed to a podium finish in race 1 last year at this venue, Haslam was always going to return. He also made an appearance a fortnight ago in Italy, manage to secure decent points in both races. At the track where he’s completed more laps than anyone can count, the home crowd will be expecting big things from their local hero. He has the talent and the bike to cause a big upset to the favourites. Joining him will be Mason Law (WD40-Kawasaki) and the young sensation Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki). For Ray, it is a big opportunity to draw the attention of the bosses of the world championship teams. Its no secret that he sees his long term career on the world stage – whether that be in Superbikes or Grand Prix racing. Having secured an emphatic brace of victories here back in April in BSB, he should be competitive from the start this weekend.

World Superbike Race 1: Saturday 26th May – 1315 BST

World Superbike Race 2: Sunday 27th May – 1300 BST

15th May 2018

WSBK Imola: Race 1 – Cruise Control for Kawasaki

Jonathan Rea and the Kawasaki Racing Team cranked up the pressure on their championship rivals with a blistering performance, leaving all and sundry reeling in their wake.

The timing at this point in the season and the venue only made the victory sweeter for the Japanese factory team, at the spectacular Autodromo Enzo Ferrari di Imola, in the Bologna region of Italy – Ducati’s home round.

Having qualified on pole position for the sixteenth time in his career, Rea made the perfect launch from the grid as the lights went out, and never looked back. As so often is the case with the 3x world champion, once he’d found his rhythm it was impossible for anyone to close the gap. Even Tom Sykes (KRT) on identical machinery could offer no answer to the pace and consistency of the Northern Irishman. Such was the performance of the Kawasaki ZX-10RR machines, Sykes was able to establish his own commanding lead in second place over the chasing riders behind.

The factory Aruba.it Ducati team will be wondering how their rivals had so comprehensively outperformed them. On a track which their lead rider, Chaz Davies, had secured victory in the four previous races to be held at the circuit. Unlike messrs Rea and Sykes, Davies suffered a poor race start – wheel spinning off the line and becoming engulfed in the mid-pack shenanigans on the run down to the Tamburello chicane. P4 was the best Davies could ultimately manage, but due to the quirky reverse grid format for Race 2, it does mean he will start from pole position tomorrow.

Instead of challenging KRT for honours, the Ducati riders were left to fight amongst themselves for the final place on the podium. Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Ducati) emerged victorious from the in-house fight to claim the final spot on the podium, though not before he had fended off another strong challenge from Spanish rider Xavi Fores on the independent Barni-Racing Ducati. Fores eventually finished in P5 behind the two factory riders, but it was another display which showcased the breakthrough season the 32-year old is having. Behind him came young Italian protege, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati Junior Team), much to the delight of the home crowd. Despite only entering his third round of the season, Rinaldi has adjusted to life from Superstock racing. Although he faded in the final laps due to tyre wear, his result in P7 (with a fastest lap of 1″47.536) underline his potential.

It was a testing day for the Pata Yamaha outfit with both riders, Michael Van der Mark (P6) and Alex Lowes (P10), unable to hold pace with their front running rivals. The latter in particular had been on the back foot since Friday, after an engine issue forced him to sit out the entirely of the first practice session. Lowes spent the race fighting with the two Pucetti Kawasaki bikes of Toprak Razgatlioglu (P11) and wildcard entrant Leon Haslam (P9).

One team who suffered a complete disaster was Red Bull Honda. Having attempted to ride during Friday morning practice, Leon Camier ruled himself out, still suffering with injuries sustained at Aragon last month. His replacement, flown in from British Superbikes, was Jason O’Halloran. with just one practice session to his name, the amiable Aussie out-qualified American teammate Jake Gagne. However that was to be as good as it got as, early in the race O’Halloran crashed out at the fast Villeneuve chicane and had to be transported to hospital. Gagne (P16), struggling with the front end feeling of the bike throughout the weekend so far, failed to finish in the points.