Category: World Superbikes

For the last three seasons, he has been the King of World Superbikes. Domination has seen him go from the nearly-guy to the uncatchable. He has captivated a whole nation and become one of Northern Ireland’s greatest sportsmen, as well as one of the most successful British motorcycle racers in history. Jonathan Rea has been a poster-boy for Northern Irish sport for the last three years and once more, he was hailed a hero after taking a third successive WSBK title. An achievement that former British WSBK champs like Carl Fogarty, Neil Hodgson, James Toseland and Tom Sykes have never been able to carry out.

Born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, Jonathan Rea could never have dreamt of becoming a World Superbike star in his school-boy days. He was never really a fan of racing on tarmac, as he considered it boring and nowhere near as exciting as motocross. Rumour has it that it was Michael and Eugene Laverty that persuaded him to take his talent from dirt to road and in 2003, he made the move to the British 125cc championship. Rea finished the season just four points behind lightweight class legend Ryan Saxelby, in 15th place – picking up a podium at the penultimate round of the season too, at Brands Hatch Indy.

The following season, he was contesting the prestigious British Supersport category, which at the time had names such as Cal Crutchlow, Leon Camier and Michael Laverty in. He was 12th in the championship before an injury at Knockhill ruined his season. Rea remained on 26 points for the rest of the year.

Fast forward his career and through his British Superbike days – of which he only took 5 race wins – and we find Jonny Rea in World Supersport, teammate to Andrew Pitt at the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda squad. He took his first podium at Assen and his first win at Brno, It was quite obvious that we were looking at a very serious talent in the world of motorcycle racing but surely we never expected him to win three titles?

A step up to WSBK in 2009 saw him take his first victory at Misano, whilst a second win of the season came at the Nurburgring, Germany, beating eventual champion Ben Spies by just under a second. Between 2009 and his departure from Honda in 2014, Rea took 15 wins, including two doubles. He won at least one race in every year whilst riding for Honda but the domination didn’t start until 2015, when he left Honda – having been with them for his whole career – to join Kawasaki.

Since arriving at Kawasaki, Jonny Rea has had a podium hit rate of 89.1%, an extraordinary figure. In the five back-to-back titles that Valentino Rossi won in MotoGP, he had a podium hit rate of 87.6%, so Jonny Rea’s domination has seen him so much more consistent than everyone else and even higher than ‘The Doctor’.

Rea has won 35 races in his time with Kawasaki so far, their most successful rider ever in WSBK.  The only circuits that the Ulsterman hasn’t won at on the current WSBK calendar are Jerez and Losail, both circuits of which are up next in 2017. He really has set records. Having said that, he has only scored nine pole positions, which enhances his success. It shows that when he has to, he can come through the field. In 2017, he has won from row three a total of six times and finished on the podium from row three on four other occasions. The statistics go on and on.

Rea is not the only beneficiary. Northern Ireland is being showcased on the world stage in the best possible way. Jonathan is a hero back home, with legions of fans supporting him. School kids are aspiring to be him, he is an idol to so, so many. Maybe one day, he may even be up for nomination for BBC Sports Personality of the Year…

With this success and fame comes interest. In Northern Ireland, a circuit that would be fit to host WSBK and MotoGP has been proposed and is now being built. An estimated 700 jobs are set to be created in the 18-month construction period, which is estimated to cost £30m, in County Tyrone. Lake Torrent is the circuit name. Although the capacity of the venue is only set to be 30,000 per event, Rea would help fill every seat with his fans back home. Overall, it’s a massive boost to the Northern Irish economy as well as the publicity that the country would get from such a top-class facility – which undoubtedly has been driven forward by Rea’s success.

Overall, Rea has been pretty sensational, both on track and off track. Some say that he has ruined WSBK and made it boring but whilst he is racing in the championship, we have to admire the talent and ability that he carries. We have to admire his willingness to never stop winning and to carry on breaking records. Rea is arguably the most talented rider that WSBK has ever seen but as I was told by Neil Hodgson, it is very hard to compare him to anyone else because there is no one else in Rea’s league at the moment, not even Kawasaki teammate Tom Sykes. Jonathan Rea is a legend and will only grow and grow as he racks up win after win, title after title.

Image by: worldSBK.com

Round 11 of the 2017 World Superbike championship certainly didn’t disappoint – which let me tell you – feels superb to say.

It would be an injustice to not focus on Jonathan Rea and the factory Kawasaki outfit creating World Superbike history first. The Northern Irishman finally wrapped up what we’ve known for most of the season – his third straight championship, becoming the first rider to ever reach that feat.

After claiming pole for race one, despite getting cosy with the gravel traps in Superpole, the 30 year old then left the others in his wake as he stormed to victory in immensely difficult conditions under French skies. The perfect race to confirm his place as one of the all time Superbike greats.

Speaking to British Eurosport after his triumph, Rea commented; “I dreamt of [winning] one world championship as a kid. It was all I hung on to through the sacrifices of my parents during my motocross days.”

“To get one was incredible. Then going back to back with the new bike was unbelievable. This one… I’ve no words.”

His outing in race two was cut short after colliding with Eugene Laverty’s stricken Aprilia, nonetheless, an incredible weekend for the-now triple world champion.

Davies first title is by no means far away. A DNF in race 1 was an all too familiar story for the Welshman this year, with inconsistent results letting the man in green run away with the title.

Along with Tom Sykes, the Ducati man has been the other stand out performer this year with seven wins under his belt. He’s shown he can battle and beat Rea. Now, we just have to see it happen over the course of a season and hopefully, we can see Chaz claim his maiden Superbike title that we know he deserves.

All credit to the 30-year-old who proved he isn’t going to slow up for the remainder of the year despite losing out on the title.

Ah, the Pata Yamaha team. I think I can speak on behalf of every World Superbike fan at least and say how pleasing it was to see both Alex Lowes and Michael Van Der Mark celebrate on the podium in race two. The Englishman, twin to brother Sam, secured his third podium of the season to continue what has been a very positive year for Alex, despite consistent podiums eluding him and the team.

His Dutch teammate crossed the line third to pick up his second podium of the season and like his team mate, van der Mark has impressed this year. The boys in blue have cemented their place as the best of the rest, with number 22 sitting on 200 points in the championship and the number 60 sitting on 189. The race to be fourth in the championship, in my opinion, will be the hottest battle out there in the remaining four races.

Moving onto Marco Melandri and like we didn’t know this already, but make no mistake,  he’s still got it. He’s only had one win this season which came in Misano race two, however, the wily old fox has only failed to step on the podium at two of the rounds in 2017, Donington Park and Laguna Seca.

So what else did we learn? Leon Camier is the unluckiest guy out there. No one deserves a taste of the champagne more than he does this season after some of the performances he’s managed to strangle out of the out-dated MV Agusta. The devastation from both rider and team were clear to see after the bike gave up on him (again) whilst challenging for an almost certain rostrum in race two, one better than he went in race one.

There are strong rumours linking the former British Superbike champion with a move away from the Italian manufacturer, with Honda being the likely destination if the stories are to be believed, although MotoGP migrant Loris Baz is also rumoured to have that seat.

Overall, the Pirelli French round was an indicator of how great the series can be and still is. Yes, changes need to be made and seeing Jonny Rea win the title with two rounds to go isn’t great for the neutral but the genuine world class talent the series possesses shouldn’t go a miss.

Jerez is next up for the World Superbike circus, before they touch down in Qatar for the last round of the season at the start of November. It is rumoured that WSBK will no longer attend Jerez after this season, whilst Qatar looks set to stay.

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Image by: Yamaha Racing

Chaz Davies took his 7th victory of the season in race two at Magny Cours on Sunday afternoon, beating Yamaha pairing Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark – as well as the weather – to take victory.

“Yesterday was bitter but today was sweet. This is the best way to put behind us a couple of tough races. I woke up feeling really motivated and I think it showed in the opening laps, as I was making passes and got to the front pretty quickly from 11th position”, said race winner Davies, making it his third win at Magny Cours.

Despite leading by a long way, Davies knew that it could all go wrong. Just two laps from home in race two at Portimao, he crashed out of a very safe 2nd place. During race two at Magny Cours, he had rain to contend with and with him being first to arrive, he was guinea-pig in the race.

“It wasn’t an easy race though. The rain was on and off throughout and it was hard to tell where the wet patches could be. It was a matter of pushing hard but not too much, just enough to keep the gap in check and that’s what we did. Now we’re looking forward to the last two races, the hunt for second position in the championship is still open and we can be fast, both at Jerez and Losail.”

Davies sits just nine points behind 2013 champion, Tom Sykes. Davies out-scored Sykes in the remaining races last year and if he does the same again, he will finish the 2017 season as runner-up for a 2nd time.

Image by: WorldSBK,com

The Pata Yamaha World Superbike team of Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark gave Yamaha their first double podium in WSBK since Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty finished 1-2 in the 2nd race at Portimao, way back in 2011. It also marks the 2nd podium of the season for Michael van der Mark and 3rd of the season for Lowes, as the Pata Yamaha riders continue to develop the new R1. It was the closest a Yamaha has been to winning a race since race two at Phillip Island earlier this season.

In a race that was plagued by inclement weather conditions, Lowes lined up 2nd on the grid. He was initially the race leader, with teammate van der Mark coming into 2nd. Aruba.IT Ducati’s Chaz Davies forced his way through the field with careless abandon, eventually taking the lead and clearing off into the distance.

Leon Camier was next up on the MV Agusta and he took over as 2nd place man ahead of Lowes, although it would turn out not to matter too much – Leon Camier’s MV Agusta expired yet again. Lincolnshire Bullet Lowes was now ahead of Magic Michael.

The rain began to fall much heavier, with all four sectors giving warnings of drops of rain. van der Mark did not adhere to the warnings though, running out onto the white lines and using all of the kerb to try and close on his teammate. Thankfully, he remained upright, as the sun came from behind the clouds again, with the rain easing off.

Both riders put in a string of low 1.39s, closing the gap down to Davies in the latter stages of the race. Although both Yamahas gave pursuit to give the manufacturer their first win in six seasons, it wasn’t to be and it was Davies who beat Lowes and van der Mark.

“Honestly, this weekend has been slightly strange with the different weather conditions yesterday and then today, with just that little bit of rain and difficult grip levels”, began Alex Lowes, taking his best ever result at Magny Cours.

“I think it is a perfect example of how well the Pata Yamaha Team are working because, although we are still looking to close the gap to Kawasaki and Ducati in terms of out-and-out performance, whenever there is a chance to take advantage of a ‘different’ situation, we have been there”, said the former BSB champion, hailing the progress that the Pata Yamaha team have made in just two seasons.

“It is a fantastic day for the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team! I am really happy to share the podium with Michael because, like I said, the team have been performing so well and I am looking forward to the rest of the season now! I try to do the best I can in every race and my goal is to try and challenge these guys every week; that is the target and that is what Yamaha employ me to do”.

Lowes had previously only ever scored one point-scoring ride at Magny Cours, on a Suzuki in 2015, finishing 8th. A 2nd place on Sunday combined with a 5th on Saturday gave Lowes his best points haulage of the season to date.

“I think if I take a step back, I can be quite happy overall with the season up to now but as a rider, you always want more and there are some events where more could have been achieved. I still feel that there is still plenty more to come from myself and the R1 and we will keep working hard to improve”, said Lowes, consolidating his 5th place in the championship.

Teammate Michael van der Mark was just as positive, despite not being top Yamaha this time out. The Dutchman took his 2nd podium in three races and also clinched his best ever finishes at Magny Cours.

“It is my second podium of the season and I am so happy! Yesterday in the first race I was a bit unlucky but I scored some points. Today it was good to start from sixth on the grid for race two. I had a really good start and fought my way to the front but it was really difficult as there were some big drops of rain falling, so it was tricky to know what to expect”, van der Mark said, as conditions proved difficult for many riders.

“It was good for me to follow the other guys because I could see what they were doing. I was pushing quite hard but I also didn’t want to crash; it was so difficult but I tried my best and managed to stay on the bike. I just focused on finding my pace and it was similar to the guys in front”, he continued.

Michael had scored a magnificent 2nd place at the circuit last season, so this year’s result only emphasises his love for the technical Magny Cours track. Prior to this weekend, he had never been lower than 5th at Magny Cours since joining the Superbike class. Unfortunately, his 9th place yesterday – after falling off and remounting – ended that amazing run of form in France.

“Towards the end of the race I closed the gap to Alex but then I made some small mistakes and I just didn’t have the tyres anymore to attack again. It was a little bit of a weird race but Alex and I were really strong today and it was great to share the podium with my teammate. It was not the easiest race to control but in the end, we were both on the podium and that is what we aim for”, said a magnanimous Michael van der Mark, who jumps to 6th in the points standings.

“We have made a good step forward and this result, along with Portimao two weeks ago, shows we can fight for the podium at every round. I am really happy and I look forward to Jerez already. Jerez is a special track for me, and one I really like. We cannot wait to go there”.

The Yamaha pairing will now go to Jerez and look to build their advantage over Xavi Fores in 7th and also hope to be able to run with the leading Kawasaki and Ducati riders. Yamaha’s best result at Jerez last season was a 6th and a 5th, both results coming from Sylvain Guintoli.

Image: Yamaha Racing WSBK

Having done the double at Magny-Cours last season, Chaz Davies is in search of second place in the championship, especially now that he realistically can’t win it. The Aruba.IT Ducati rider scored just 20 points from Portimao, having gone into the Portuguese round off the back of a double victory at the Lausitzring, Germany.

“Last year we were fast at Magny-Cours but most of all, we played two smart races. We gambled on intermediate tyres for race 1 and it paid off, then we simply looked after our tyres well in race 2. At the end of two very different races, we came out on top”, began the Welshman, who sits 15 points behind Tom Sykes in the standings.

“The track is quite good for our package but that also applies to our main rivals. In the last round we struggled a bit. However, we understood why and I expect us to be much closer in France and put up a fight”, continued Davies. Chaz needs to score 35 points more than Jonathan Rea to keep the championship alive for this season – a massive ask with just 150 points left on the board.

Davies’ previous results for Ducati at Magny-Cours consist of a double win last season, 6th and 4th in 2015 and a DNF and 9th in 2014. Prior to that, Chaz took a 5th and a 7th on the GoldBet BMW in 2013 and a DNF and 8th the year before on an Aprilia.

“The weather is always a point of contention at Magny Cours and it’s quite unpredictable: we had a bit of everything in the past, from summer days to freezing cold winter days, so there’s no real way to prepare for it. We’ll just do our homework and try get the job done on track.”

Ducati have won a total of 15 times at Magny-Cours, including the first ever World Superbike event at the circuit, back in 1991 – when Doug Polen won both races. Ducati’s last pole position at Magny Cours came in 2003, from James Toseland of the GSE Racing squad. The manufacturer’s last fastest lap came from Davide Giugliano in race two, 2012, on the Althea Ducati – teammate to Carlos Checa.

Image by: WorldSBK

Eugene Laverty heads to Magny-Cours this weekend, in search of giving Shaun Muir’s Milwaukee Aprilia team their first podium of the season, having completed a successful Portimao round in Portugal two weeks ago.

The Irishman took his biggest points haul of the season last time out and finished closer to winning a race than all season long. The Aprilia is starting to come good towards the end of the season, setting the team up nicely for 2018 – especially as Laverty has already signed to remain with the team.

“Portimao was our best result of the year and the closest we have been to the race winner. We also had a good test on Monday, so we’re on the right tracks and looking to progress with three rounds left”, said Laverty, who is positive about his dry weather chances on Saturday and Sunday.

“Magny-Cours should be good for us because the rear tyre is usually consistent for the whole race. That could all change if it rains though and it looks set to rain all day on Saturday which will be a challenge”, he continued.

The 31-year-old ex GP rider has never won a race at Magny-Cours in the Superbike class and the last time he raced there, he didn’t score any points – riding for the Crescent Suzuki team in 2014. In 2013, he finished 2nd and 3rd in the races, whilst he also took a victory in 2010 on his way to 2nd in the World Supersport championship.

“The grip of the tarmac here will be a benefit though. We are still missing some traction out of the slow corners but it’s an area we are improving in. We’ll be working hard towards the podium which is the aim this weekend.”

Aprilia as a manufacturer have won three times at the circuit, with Sylvain Guintoli, Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi all tasting champagne from the top-step of the rostrum. Will Eugene Laverty add his name to that specific list?

Image credit; WorldSBK

Pirelli will remain the Sole Tyre Supplier in World Superbikes until 2020, after a contract extension for the 2019 and 2020 was penned. This announcement means Pirelli will be the longest running control tyre supplier in history, as the contract is extended for two more seasons.

First signing in 2004, after Michelin, Dunlop and Bridgestone had all been in the series , the technical partnership established by Pirelli with the World Superbike Championship is currently into its 14^th consecutive season, and continues to impress. The single tyre formula proposed by Pirelli was initially designed to reduce the overall costs of running the Championship whilst at the same time, increase competitiveness. This is achieved through supplying teams and riders with identical tyre specifications, week in, week out – whilst also listening to feedback and making improvement where asked.

Right from the outset, Pirelli, realised that the production bike derived series was a great development platform for its tyres, therefore and decided to give the Championship production tyres. Undoubtedly, this choice proved to be one of the best: based on the motto “We sell what we race, we race what we sell”.

This confirmation in the role of Sole Tyre Supplier demonstrates the passion and dedication that Pirelli has always played in motorsport, confirming an important feature of the Italian company’s DNA.

Giorgio Barbier, Racing Activities Director of Pirelli’s Business Unit Moto, said: “We are historically a strong sporty DNA brand. This year we celebrated 110 years of Motorsports activity, and this renewal is a strong sign of our continued business strategy that has enabled our company to establish itself as a benchmark in racing. First of all in the segment of racing and Supersport tyres, and then with great success in both development and sales across the range. The bond between Pirelli and the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has always been solid, over the years we have strongly contributed to the growth of this Championship and, at the same time, thanks to our participation we have succeeded in developing successful products which we have made available to all motorcyclists. Now we are thinking about the future, we will work together with Dorna on the growth of the Championship and especially with the new World Supersport 300 class, because today’s young riders will be the future protagonists of tomorrow’s World Superbike Championship.”

Marc Saurina, WorldSBK Commercial and Marketing director adds: “To have Pirelli on board for another two seasons is fantastic news for the Championship, and to reach the milestone of the longest running sole tyre supplier really shows the strong relationship the two companies have. Providing all classes with such an important asset as tyres is something we take seriously, and we believe Pirelli are the perfect company to continue with.”

Image by worldsbk.com

The World Superbike paddock gets back underway this weekend as the circus heads to the Lausitzring in Germany to begin the second leg of their 13 round season. This season more than any other and the direction the World Superbike series has gone down, has come under plenty of scrutiny from people who follow it closely.

Looking at it from a fans point of view, you can see why people aren’t forking out the cash to go and see the racing. Having only two manufacturers at the front without any real threat from Aprilia, Yamaha, MV Agusta, Honda and BMW week in, week out, gets slightly repetitive and dare I say, boring.

I will never fall out of love with motorcycle racing, real racing fans will, I’m sure, agree with me on that. But, in the grand scheme of things, something has to change to allow the other manufacturers to be competitive on the world stage of production motorcycle racing.

This is nothing against the likes of Jonathan Rea, Chaz Davies and Tom Sykes. It’s amazing to have three genuine world class British riders fighting it out at the front every race weekend, we couldn’t ask for anymore as British racing fans. In my opinion, they could all be competitive in MotoGP, given they were on the right equipment at the right time.

The same can be said for several other World Superbike riders. Pata Yamaha teammates Alex Lowes and Michael Van Der Mark could win races if their package could compete with Kawasaki and Ducati.

Stefan Bradl is a former Moto2 World Champion, yet struggling to get into the top 10 at each round. Through no fault of his own, the new Honda Fireblade simply hasn’t been able to be fast on the world stage. Their decision to go with Cosworth engines may prove to be a direction they’ll regret taking.

Eugene Laverty is a World Superbike race winner and has also proven he can be quick on an unfavourable Ducati GP14 MotoGP bike. Maybe it will take a year for the Irishman to understand a Superbike again, having been away on MotoGP duty since 2014.

Leon Camier has been hugely impressive on the MV Agusta, a former British Superbike champion who should be expecting to fight for victories week in week out with the talent he has. However, the MV itself is based on an old model bike and the results Leon is delivering for the team are incredible considering the age of the motorcycle.

The list could go on. My point here is, imagine all of these boys mixing it with Rea, Davies, Sykes and Melandri at the front every weekend. THAT would be worth its weight in gold for every motorcycle racing fan. Yes, for other countries it may get slightly boring seeing the Union Jack every weekend but real fans would watch the close racing regardless.

We only have to look at the competitiveness of British Superbikes to see what a level playing field can do. The popularity of the series is sky high and the racing it provides from virtually every manufacturer on the grid only enhances that. Stuart Higgs has got the balance absolutely right with privateer teams having just as much chance of success as the more factory backed outfits.

Lets travel back to the ‘Golden Age’ of World Superbikes. King Carl had 90,000 British fans flocking to Donington and over 120,000 to Brands Hatch each year and until his accident at Phillip Island, he was undoubtedly the man to beat. Not just on track but off track as well, his confidence bordering-on-arrogance persona was marmite but everyone ended up embracing him.

After Foggy’s retirement, the paddock was still treated to unbelievably close racing between every manufacturer in the paddock. In 2000, Colin Edwards and Noriyuki Haga went head-to-head whereas Neil Hodgson, Chris Walker and John Reynolds all created goose-bump moments with their fantastic wildcard performances. A year later, Edwards and Troy Bayliss went at it with Bayliss pipping the American, but through Ruben Xaus, Regis Laconi and Tadayuki Okada in the mix and you’ve got yourself a stacked field of closing racing, not to mention the annual trip to Sugo for the Japanese round – Tamada, Kitagawaw, Serizawa, Ryo and Takeda, the list goes on.

We all remember Edwards and Bayliss fight it out at Imola in 2002, one of the greatest battles I’ve ever seen on a race track in any series. Steve Parrish seemingly agreeing, it was one of the best races he ever commentated on. But when will these glory days come again? When will we see another vintage year of Superbike racing that captivates us all once more?

 

Elliott York

@journoyork