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Post by truenorth on May 6, 2023 7:04:57 GMT -8
Bulega resists MV Agusta charge for WorldSSP Race 1 victory, Sofuoglu claims maiden podium Saturday, 6 May 2023 Nicolo Bulega claimed his fifth win of the season with a hard-fought victory while the Sofuoglu name returned to the WorldSSP rostrum The fight for all three podium places in the FIM Supersport World Championship in Race 1 for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was a thrilling affair as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) claimed his fifth win of the 2023 season while a familiar name returned to the podium. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) put the Sofuoglu name back on the podium with a hard-fought third place after a scrap with his teammate as well as Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha). HARD-FOUGHT WINS AND PODIUMS: Bulega on top, Sofuoglu takes first podium Bulega initially dropped down at the start of the race and fell behind Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) at the start before re-taking the lead in the opening laps. It had looked like he would pull away from the chasing pack, but it was a charging Sofuoglu (who took the lead on Lap 7 with a move at Turn 1 after a series of fast laps to close the gap. The pair switched positions which allowed the chasing group, led by Marcel Schroetter, to close the gap. Schroetter pulled away from teammate Sofuoglu and Manzi as the pair fought hard for the podium with the pair side by side for almost the entire final lap with the fight for third decided right at the end of the race. Despite Schroetter closing the gap to Bulega he was unable to make the move for victory as he finished six tenths down on Bulega. Sofuoglu had taken third place on the run to the line, with the pair elbow to elbow trying to finish on the podium, but Manzi was given a three-second time penalty, in lieu of a Long Lap Penalty for taking a shortcut and not losing sufficient time, which dropped him to sixth place. Bulega’s victory was his fifth in WorldSSP and his third consecutive victory following on from his double at Assen while it also gave Ducati their tenth win in the Championship, putting them level with Suzuki and MV Agusta. Schroetter claimed his second podium of the season and in WorldSSP, while Sofuoglu became the 102nd rider to finish on the podium in the Championship, and he puts Turkey on the verge of 100 podiums with the country not on 99. DRAMA THROUGHOUT: Manzi finishes sixth after fierce podium fight Manzi’s penalty promoted to Dutch rider Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) into fourth place as he finished around fifth seconds down on the race winner and a second behind Sofuoglu at the end of the race, with Caricasulo eventually recovering to take fifth place despite losing time and positions in the early stages of the race. Manzi’s three-second penalty demoted him to sixth place, two seconds ahead of teammate Jorge Navarro in seventh place. A TOP TEN FINISH: strong rides throughout the field French rider Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) had been running in the led group, including chasing Bulega for victory in the early stages, before dropping down to eighth place. He was only six tenths down on Navarro ahead of him, while he was three seconds clear of Nicholas Spinelli (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) in ninth place, some three seconds down on Debise ahead. Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) took tenth place to round out the top ten, with Tuuli missing out on ninth spot by just three tenths. TAKING HOME POINTS: finishing in the top 15 Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) got a superb launch off the line to move into the top three but he dropped down the order shortly after, before he dropped further when he took the first of his two Long Lap Penalties for a collision with Can Oncu last time out at Assen. After he took his second Long Lap Penalty, he dropped into the second group and was unable to recover beyond 11th place. He finished ahead of Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) in 12th and Tom Booth-Amos (Motozoo ME Air Racing) in 13th; Booth-Amos finished as the lead WorldSSP Challenge rider. Tom Edwards (Yart-Yamaha WorldSSP Team) was 14th despite starting fourth after he tumbled down the order on the last lap, ahead of Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) who took the final point in Race 1. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), returning to WorldSSP as a replacement rider for Oncu, just missing out on points with 16th place and he finished three seconds clear of Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing) in 17th. The Australian had been in the top ten in the first half of the stages but fell down the order to finish ahead of wildcard Adrian Fernandez (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) in 18th, John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) in 19th and Andrea Mantovani (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) who rounded out the top 20. HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP Race 1 Maximilian Kofler (D34G Racing) brought his bike into the pits after he had a crash at Turn 10 on Lap 3 and retired from the race, while Baris Sahin (MDR Offitec Yamaha) also brought his machine into the pits in the early stages of the race. Maiki Abe (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) retired from the race on Lap 8 when he suffered a technical issue on his bike. Apiwath Wongthananon (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) retired from the race after a late crash, while Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE HONDA Team) retired with a late technical issue. The top six following WorldSSP Race 1, full results here: 1 Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.626s 3. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +3.996s 4. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) +4.991s 5. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) +5.467s 6. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +7.002s
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Post by truenorth on May 6, 2023 7:09:55 GMT -8
Granado declared unfit following Race 1 crash in Barcelona Saturday, 6 May 2023 The Brazilian rider crashed during the original race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya which brought out the red flags The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field in will be down a rider on Sunday after Eric Granado (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team) was declared unfit following his Race 1 crash at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round. Granado had been fighting on the fringes of the points-paying positions when he crashed on the exit of Turn 11 and the entry to Turn 12 with the red flags deployed following the crash. The Brazilian rider was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and has been declared unfit for Sunday’s action with concussion, and he was transported to hospital for further checks. Granado is competing in his first full WorldSBK campaign in 2023 with the MIE Honda team who he made his debut with in 2020 as a replacement rider. The season is proving to be difficult for Granado with no points to his name and a best finish of 17th which came last time out at Assen. However, in Barcelona, Granado took 18th place in Superpole and was running close to the points-paying position. Following his crash, Granado has been ruled out of Sunday’s action.
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Post by truenorth on May 7, 2023 7:59:45 GMT -8
SBK Race 1 restarted 1 1 1 A. BAUTISTA ESP Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Ducati Panigale V4R 17 1'41.747 319,5 1'40.264 322,4 2 4 54 T. RAZGATLIOGLU TUR Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Yamaha YZF R1 17 8.864 8.864 1'42.186 322,4 1'41.122 314,9 3 3 65 J. REA GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10RR 17 8.927 0.063 1'42.244 319,5 1'40.761 315,8 4 6 55 A. LOCATELLI ITA Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Yamaha YZF R1 17 13.992 5.065 1'42.602 320,5 1'41.233 319,5 5 7 77 D. AEGERTER SUI GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 17 14.206 0.214 1'42.641 321,4 1'40.737 313,0 6 11 7 I. LECUONA ESP Team HRC Honda CBR1000 RR-R 17 15.809 1.603 1'42.779 326,3 1'40.783 323,4 7 5 47 A. BASSANI ITA Motocorsa Racing Ducati Panigale V4R IND 17 18.222 2.413 1'42.237 323,4 1'41.834 322,4 8 8 97 X. VIERGE ESP Team HRC Honda CBR1000 RR-R 17 20.607 2.385 1'42.854 326,3 1'41.423 330,3 9 14 31 G. GERLOFF USA Bonovo Action BMW BMW M1000 RR IND 17 20.841 0.234 1'42.710 326,3 1'41.141 326,3 10 9 87 R. GARDNER AUS GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 17 23.475 2.634 1'42.816 320,5 1'41.071 321,4 11 15 5 P. OETTL GER Team GoEleven Ducati Panigale V4R IND 17 31.286 7.811 1'43.269 322,4 1'41.965 322,4 12 18 28 B. RAY GBR Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 17 31.823 0.537 1'43.882 317,6 1'42.307 315,8 13 16 76 L. BAZ FRA Bonovo Action BMW BMW M1000 RR IND 17 32.859 1.036 1'43.074 322,4 1'42.028 323,4 14 17 35 H. SYAHRIN MAS PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda CBR1000 RR-R IND 17 40.429 7.570 1'43.651 318,6 1'42.456 323,4 15 20 75 I. LOPES POR ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW M1000 RR 17 46.947 6.518 1'44.085 316,7 1'42.399 315,8 16 21 66 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR IND 17 50.828 3.881 1'44.573 311,2 1'42.609 306,8 17 19 34 L. BALDASSARRI ITA GMT94 Yamaha Yamaha YZF R1 IND 16 1 Lap 1 Lap 1'44.786 304,2 1'42.197 314,0 -----------------Not Classifed----------------- RET 10 22 A. LOWES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10RR 10 7 Laps 1'42.694 321,4 1'40.971 321,4 RET 22 32 I. VINALES ESP TPR by Vinales Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR IND 9 8 Laps 1'44.806 303,4 1'43.862 299,2 RET 2 21 M. RINALDI ITA Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Ducati Panigale V4R 1 16 Laps 317,6 1'40.771 321,4 RET 51 E. GRANADO BRA PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda CBR1000 RR-R IND 0 1'42.297 317,6 RET 52 O. KONIG CZE Orelac Racing MOVISIO Kawasaki ZX-10RR IND 0 1'43.055 313,0 RET 12 45 S. REDDING GBR ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW M1000 RR 0 272,7 1'41.703 322,4 -----------------Disqualifed----------------- DSQ 13 9 D. PETRUCCI ITA Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati Panigale V4R IND 17 22.930 1'43.028 328,3 1'41.420 320,5
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Post by truenorth on May 7, 2023 8:00:40 GMT -8
SBK Superpole Race 1 1 1 A. BAUTISTA ESP Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Ducati Panigale V4R 10 1'41.386 321,4 1'40.264 322,4 2 8 54 T. RAZGATLIOGLU TUR Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Yamaha YZF R1 10 2.110 2.110 1'41.405 321,4 1'41.122 314,9 3 10 55 A. LOCATELLI ITA Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Yamaha YZF R1 10 2.385 0.275 1'41.575 321,4 1'41.233 319,5 4 5 7 I. LECUONA ESP Team HRC Honda CBR1000 RR-R 10 2.868 0.483 1'41.881 331,3 1'40.783 323,4 5 6 22 A. LOWES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10RR 10 2.965 0.097 1'41.731 324,3 1'40.971 321,4 6 2 77 D. AEGERTER SUI GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 10 3.257 0.292 1'41.734 318,6 1'40.737 313,0 7 9 31 G. GERLOFF USA Bonovo Action BMW BMW M1000 RR IND 10 3.398 0.141 1'41.813 330,3 1'41.141 326,3 8 4 21 M. RINALDI ITA Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Ducati Panigale V4R 10 4.102 0.704 1'41.417 325,3 1'40.771 321,4 9 12 97 X. VIERGE ESP Team HRC Honda CBR1000 RR-R 10 4.884 0.782 1'42.182 326,3 1'41.423 330,3 10 14 47 A. BASSANI ITA Motocorsa Racing Ducati Panigale V4R IND 10 6.031 1.147 1'42.238 326,3 1'41.834 322,4 11 11 9 D. PETRUCCI ITA Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati Panigale V4R IND 10 6.154 0.123 1'42.032 329,3 1'41.420 320,5 12 13 45 S. REDDING GBR ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW M1000 RR 10 9.424 3.270 1'42.461 324,3 1'41.703 322,4 13 15 5 P. OETTL GER Team GoEleven Ducati Panigale V4R IND 10 10.428 1.004 1'42.768 321,4 1'41.965 322,4 14 18 28 B. RAY GBR Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 10 14.325 3.897 1'42.869 315,8 1'42.307 315,8 15 19 75 I. LOPES POR ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW M1000 RR 10 14.441 0.116 1'42.515 321,4 1'42.399 315,8 16 20 35 H. SYAHRIN MAS PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda CBR1000 RR-R IND 10 21.393 6.952 1'43.342 318,6 1'42.456 323,4 17 17 34 L. BALDASSARRI ITA GMT94 Yamaha Yamaha YZF R1 IND 10 23.623 2.230 1'43.369 316,7 1'42.197 314,0 18 16 76 L. BAZ FRA Bonovo Action BMW BMW M1000 RR IND 10 26.209 2.586 1'42.483 314,0 1'42.028 323,4 19 21 66 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR IND 10 26.566 0.357 1'43.486 314,0 1'42.609 306,8 20 22 32 I. VINALES ESP TPR by Vinales Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR IND 10 34.300 7.734 1'44.584 302,5 1'43.862 299,2 -----------------Not Classifed----------------- RET 3 65 J. REA GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10RR 9 1 Lap 1'41.487 322,4 1'40.761 315,8 RET 7 87 R. GARDNER AUS GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 9 1 Lap 1'41.936 321,4 1'41.071 321,4
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Post by truenorth on May 7, 2023 8:01:57 GMT -8
SB Race 2 1 1 1 A. BAUTISTA ESP Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Ducati Panigale V4R 20 1'41.730 320,5 1'40.264 322,4 2 2 54 T. RAZGATLIOGLU TUR Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Yamaha YZF R1 20 8.583 8.583 1'42.196 318,6 1'41.122 314,9 3 8 21 M. RINALDI ITA Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Ducati Panigale V4R 20 8.643 0.060 1'42.028 322,4 1'40.771 321,4 4 5 22 A. LOWES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10RR 20 11.366 2.723 1'42.158 320,5 1'40.971 321,4 5 10 65 J. REA GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10RR 20 12.824 1.458 1'42.353 324,3 1'40.761 315,8 6 9 97 X. VIERGE ESP Team HRC Honda CBR1000 RR-R 20 15.242 2.418 1'42.353 324,3 1'41.423 330,3 7 3 55 A. LOCATELLI ITA Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Yamaha YZF R1 20 15.771 0.529 1'42.329 321,4 1'41.233 319,5 8 6 77 D. AEGERTER SUI GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 20 16.516 0.745 1'42.375 319,5 1'40.737 313,0 9 4 7 I. LECUONA ESP Team HRC Honda CBR1000 RR-R 20 18.946 2.430 1'42.348 326,3 1'40.783 323,4 10 7 31 G. GERLOFF USA Bonovo Action BMW BMW M1000 RR IND 20 19.637 0.691 1'42.488 330,3 1'41.141 326,3 11 14 47 A. BASSANI ITA Motocorsa Racing Ducati Panigale V4R IND 20 21.561 1.924 1'42.831 324,3 1'41.834 322,4 12 12 9 D. PETRUCCI ITA Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati Panigale V4R IND 20 23.410 1.849 1'42.565 328,3 1'41.420 320,5 13 11 87 R. GARDNER AUS GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 20 25.255 1.845 1'43.106 319,5 1'41.071 321,4 14 15 5 P. OETTL GER Team GoEleven Ducati Panigale V4R IND 20 29.381 4.126 1'42.860 324,3 1'41.965 322,4 15 18 28 B. RAY GBR Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team Yamaha YZF R1 IND 20 34.437 5.056 1'43.174 315,8 1'42.307 315,8 16 16 76 L. BAZ FRA Bonovo Action BMW BMW M1000 RR IND 20 37.717 3.280 1'43.141 320,5 1'42.028 323,4 17 19 75 I. LOPES POR ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW M1000 RR 20 37.757 0.040 1'43.293 322,4 1'42.399 315,8 -----------------Not Classifed----------------- RET 17 34 L. BALDASSARRI ITA GMT94 Yamaha Yamaha YZF R1 IND 18 2 Laps 1'43.496 313,0 1'42.197 314,0 RET 13 45 S. REDDING GBR ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW M1000 RR 14 6 Laps 1'42.754 325,3 1'41.703 322,4 RET 22 32 I. VINALES ESP TPR by Vinales Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR IND 8 12 Laps 1'45.187 300,0 1'43.862 299,2 RET 21 66 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR IND 0 269,3 1'42.609 306,8 RET 20 35 H. SYAHRIN MAS PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda CBR1000 RR-R IND 0 274,8 1'42.456 323,4
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Post by truenorth on May 7, 2023 8:02:59 GMT -8
SSP Race 2 1 9 54 B. SOFUOGLU TUR MV Agusta Reparto Corse MV Agusta F3 800 RR 18 1'45.348 285,7 1'44.899 279,8 2 2 23 M. SCHROETTER GER MV Agusta Reparto Corse MV Agusta F3 800 RR 18 0.420 0.420 1'45.344 280,5 1'44.517 277,6 3 P 8 62 S. MANZI ITA Ten Kate Racing Yamaha Yamaha YZF R6 18 0.500 0.080 1'45.345 285,7 1'44.882 271,4 4 7 94 V. DEBISE FRA GMT94 Yamaha Yamaha YZF R6 18 2.563 2.063 1'45.309 283,5 1'44.875 274,1 5 5 28 G. VAN STRAALEN NED EAB Racing Team Yamaha YZF R6 18 7.036 4.473 1'45.847 284,2 1'44.860 275,5 6 3 64 F. CARICASULO ITA Althea Racing Team Ducati Panigale V2 18 7.237 0.201 1'45.844 280,5 1'44.684 276,9 7 11 29 N. SPINELLI ITA VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha Yamaha YZF R6 18 7.749 0.512 1'45.878 284,2 1'45.082 276,2 8 12 66 N. TUULI FIN Dynavolt Triumph Triumph Street Triple RS 765 18 8.148 0.399 1'45.779 282,7 1'45.187 272,7 9 6 9 J. NAVARRO ESP Ten Kate Racing Yamaha Yamaha YZF R6 18 10.173 2.025 1'45.871 283,5 1'44.861 273,4 10 18 3 R. DE ROSA ITA Orelac Racing Verdnatura Ducati Panigale V2 18 10.782 0.609 1'45.737 282,7 1'45.560 273,4 11 4 71 T. EDWARDS AUS Yart-Yamaha WorldSSP Team Yamaha YZF R6 * 18 11.218 0.436 1'46.021 279,8 1'44.777 274,1 12 14 99 A. HUERTAS ESP MTM Kawasaki Kawasaki ZX-6R 18 12.209 0.991 1'46.056 279,1 1'45.282 274,1 13 13 14 L. MAHIAS FRA Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R 18 12.804 0.595 1'46.032 281,3 1'45.227 272,7 14 15 69 T. BOOTH-AMOS GBR Motozoo ME AIR Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R * 18 13.203 0.399 1'46.002 279,1 1'45.310 273,4 15 32 31 A. FERNANDEZ GONZALEZ ESP Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team Yamaha YZF R6 18 14.765 1.562 1'46.099 281,3 281,3 16 10 55 Y. MONTELLA ITA Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati Panigale V2 18 14.952 0.187 1'46.153 283,5 1'45.013 278,4 17 20 19 A. MANTOVANI ITA Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team Yamaha YZF R6 18 16.025 1.073 1'46.123 280,5 1'45.914 279,1 18 23 22 F. FULIGNI ITA Orelac Racing Verdnatura Ducati Panigale V2 * 18 28.824 12.799 1'46.860 279,1 1'46.568 275,5 19 19 51 A. SARMOON THA Yamaha Thailand Racing Team Yamaha YZF R6 18 29.281 0.457 1'46.860 285,0 1'45.867 276,9 20 27 27 A. DIAZ ESP Arco Yart Yamaha WorldSSP Yamaha YZF R6 * 18 32.559 3.278 1'46.958 277,6 1'47.218 274,8 21 24 16 Y. OKAYA JPN ProDina Kawasaki Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R * 18 36.992 4.433 1'46.904 280,5 1'46.846 270,7 22 25 7 A. NORRODIN MAS PETRONAS MIE HONDA Team Honda CBR600RR 18 37.126 0.134 1'46.982 273,4 1'46.877 270,7 23 28 95 T. MACKENZIE GBR PETRONAS MIE HONDA Team Honda CBR600RR 18 37.171 0.045 1'47.308 274,1 1'47.379 269,3 24 22 73 M. KOFLER AUT D34G Racing Ducati Panigale V2 * 18 37.579 0.408 1'47.387 276,9 1'46.249 272,0 25 29 4 H. TRUELOVE GBR Dynavolt Triumph Triumph Street Triple RS 765 18 38.138 0.559 1'46.936 282,7 1'47.669 272,0 26 26 68 L. POWER AUS Motozoo ME AIR Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R * 18 42.809 4.671 1'47.461 276,9 1'46.891 275,5 27 30 98 M. ABE JPN VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha Yamaha YZF R6 * 18 1'01.009 18.200 1'47.737 271,4 1'47.904 267,3 -----------------Not Classifed----------------- RET 1 11 N. BULEGA ITA Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team Ducati Panigale V2 16 2 Laps 1'45.166 284,2 1'44.243 271,4 RET 21 24 A. WONGTHANANON THA Yamaha Thailand Racing Team Yamaha YZF R6 10 8 Laps 1'46.639 281,3 1'45.990 279,1 RET 16 17 J. MCPHEE GBR Vince64 by Puccetti Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R 8 10 Laps 1'45.937 282,0 1'45.539 277,6 RET 17 32 O. BAYLISS AUS D34G Racing Ducati Panigale V2 6 12 Laps 1'46.704 284,2 1'45.543 273,4 RET 31 44 B. SAHIN SUI MDR Offtec Yamaha Yamaha YZF R6 6 12 Laps 1'49.817 268,7 1'49.185 267,3
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Post by truenorth on May 7, 2023 8:06:14 GMT -8
Bautista secures Catalunya hat-trick, Razgatlioglu beats Rinaldi after final lap fight in WorldSBK Race 2 Sunday, 7 May 2023 Bautista secured his second consecutive hat-trick in Barcelona while there was a dramatic fight for second place that was decided on the last lap The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship action concluded at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed a Barcelona hat-trick to extend his Championship lead, while Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) pipped Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on the line to deny Ducati a 1-2 finish in Spain. HAT-TRICK HERO: a treble for Bautista on home soil Bautista lost out initially as the lights went out but recovered heading into Turn 1 to retake the lead although Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) did briefly take the lead on the opening lap, although it did not last long as Bautista recovered the lead of the race before building out a gap over teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi in second place, with Rinaldi able to build a gap over Razgatlioglu in third in the first half of the race. Rinaldi overtook Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at Turn 1 on Lap 5 to promote himself into second. It had looked like Rinaldi would finish in second place to lead home a Ducati 1-2, but his final lap was around two seconds slower than Razgatlioglu and the 2021 Champion was able to overtake Rinaldi on the run to the line to take second place and secure Yamaha’s 400th WorldSBK podium, which demoted Rinaldi to third as he ended his Catalunya Round on the podium. As the race progressed, Razgatlioglu was able to pull out a gap over Lowes with the gap over a second by the start of Lap 17, allowing Razgatlioglu to claim his third podium of the weekend. Bautista has 11 wins in the first 12 races this season, matching Neil Hodgson in 2003 and his own record from 2019 while it was his seventh consecutive win. It was a milestone win for Spain as Bautista claimed their 80th WorldSBK victory while Razgatlioglu moved onto 93 WorldSBK podiums with second place as well as taking Yamaha’s 400th podium. Rinaldi returned to the rostrum for the first time in 70 days as he took his 17th podium. JUST MISSING OUT: finishing in the top six As the laps ticked down, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who started tenth, closed in on his teammate in the fight for fourth place but Rea was unable to make a move on his teammate. The KRT pair finished in fourth and fifth after Rea battled back from tenth place; he started there as a result of his Tissot Superpole Race crash. While they were fighting ahead, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) was behind and losing time to the chasing Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) with Vierge passing him on the brakes into Turn 1 on the final lap to promote Vierge to sixth place. Locatelli was able to take seventh place at the end of the race and, as a sign of how consistent he has been in 2023, seventh place is his worst finish of the year and his worst result since he was eighth in Race 2 in Argentina in 2022. COMPLETING THE TOP TEN: dramatic battles throughout Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed eighth spot as he ended his Catalunya Round with a third top-ten finish after he battled with both Team HRC riders. He had looked at passing Vierge in the closing stages before the Spanish rider pulled away but he finished more than two seconds clear of Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) who finished in ninth. American star Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) finished inside the top ten for the third race in Barcelona as he took him top BMW honours. TAKING HOME POINTS: finishing in the top 15 Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) was unable to repeat his comeback from Race 1 on Sunday and he finished in 11th place, almost two seconds down on a top-ten place. He had a similar margin behind him with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) in 12th. Two rookies finished in the final points-paying positions with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in 13th and Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in 15th sandwiching Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) in 14th place. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was 16th with Ivo Miguel Lopes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) the last classified rider in 17th. The Portuguese rider was just 0.040s away from Baz at the end of the race. HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSBK Race 2 Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) retired from the race after a Lap 1 crash at Turn 4, with Malaysian rider Syahrin taken to the medical centre for a checkup following the collision. Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing) brought his machine into the pitlane and retired from the race in the first half of the 20-lap fight. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) also brought his bike into the pits and retired after he had a technical issue in Race 2 The top six following WorldSBK Race 2, full results here: 1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +8.583s 3. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +8.643s 4. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +11.366s 5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +12.824s 6. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +15.242s Fastest Lap: Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) – 1’41.730s Championship standings 1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 236 points 2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 167 3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 133 4. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 100 5. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) 91 6. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 73
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Post by truenorth on May 7, 2023 8:08:04 GMT -8
THE NEXT GENERATION IS BORN: Bahattin Sofuoglu emulates uncle Kenan with first WorldSSP win Sunday, 7 May 2023 The Sofuoglu name returned to the top step of the WorldSSP rostrum while Championship leader Nicolo Bulega retired from the race There was a fierce fight for victory in Race 2 during the FIM Supersport World Championship at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and there were plenty of emotions on display on the podium for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round as Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) took his first win in WorldSSP after fending off a challenge from both teammate Marcel Schroetter and Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in a thrilling three-way battle for victory in Spain. EMOTIONAL WINS: Sofuoglu on the top step Sofuoglu once again got a good start from ninth on the grid to put himself in the lead group in the early stages and he was soon in the lead of the race but it was a fierce fight for the win with Sofuoglu, Sofuoglu’s teammate Schroetter and Manzi who completed the podium positions with just 0.500s separating the top three at the end of the race, with Manzi moving into second on the final lap into Turn 1; Manzi crossed the line in second but was demoted one place for exceeding track limits on the final lap at Turn 8. Schroetter took the lead from teammate Sofuoglu at Turn 1 on Lap 11 but Sofuoglu responded a lap later, while Manzi moved into second after passing Schroetter at Turn 1 on Lap 13. However, Manzi ran wide a lap later at Turn 10 but two laps later he made up for his mistake by taking both MV Agusta riders at Turn 5 to move into the lead, demoting Sofuoglu to third. On the penultimate lap, Sofuoglu moved into the lead as he and Schroetter went either side of Manzi into Turn 1 and he was able to hold on to the lead despite late pressure from Manzi on the final lap. With Manzi’s penalty, Schroetter was promoted to second place for the first MV Agusta 1-2 finish since Phillip Island in 2015. Sofuoglu’s victory meant he became the third Turkish winner in the Championship after his uncle, Kenan, and Can Oncu and it was Turkey’s 45th win in WorldSSP as well as the country’s 100th podium. Schroetter’s podium gave him his third podium in his first full season in the Championship while Manzi moved onto nine podiums. For MV Agusta, their double podium means they have now finished on the podium in 50 different WorldSSP races. JUST MISSING OUT: strong performances inside the top six Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) continued his strong form since the Championship returned to Europe with fourth place with the French rider one of several riders who was able to lead throughout the race. He finished more than four seconds clear of Dutch rider Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) in fifth place after he fended off Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) to take fifth. Caricasulo, like in Race 1, got a great start as he moved into the lead of the race at the start and fought in the leading group in the early stages before dropping back to sixth place. IN THE TOP TEN: fighting at the front but dropping back… Caricasulo was trying to attack van Straalen in the closing stages but he also had to fend off Nicholas Spinelli (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) who took seventh place ahead of Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) in eighth. Just over a second separated van Straalen in fifth and Tuuli in eighth place after a thrilling fight for the high-scoring points-paying positions. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) claimed ninth spot, two seconds down on Tuuli, while Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) rounded out the top ten. SCORING POINTS: rounding out the top 15 Australian rider Tom Edwards (Yart-Yamaha WorldSSP Team), who was a surprise fourth in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session, finished in 11th for his best WorldSSP result so far; Edwards was just four tenths away from a maiden top-ten finish. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) claimed 12th place while Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), returning to replace the injured Can Oncu, scored points with 13th place ahead of Tom Booth-Amos (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) in 13th and Adrian Fernandez (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team); Fernandez, making his WorldSSP debut, scored his first points in the Championship. HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP Race 2 Wildcard Baris Sahin (MDR Offitec Yamaha) retired from the race in the early stages of the race while Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing) crashed out of the race on Lap 7 at Turn 5. John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) was fighting for the points-paying positions but he crashed out on Lap 9 at Turn 9 which put him out of the race. Apiwath Wongthananon (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) retired from the race after bringing his bike into the pits. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) was running in the top five in the closing stages of the race after being bumped down the order, but he retired from the race on the penultimate lap with a technical issue. The top six following WorldSSP Race 2, full results here: 1. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.420s 3. Stefano Manzi (Tem Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.500s 4. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) +2.563s 5. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) +7.039s 6. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) +7.327s Fastest lap: Nicolo Bulega, Ducati – 1’45.166s Championship standings 1 Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 152 points 2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 119 3. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 116 4. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) 98 5. Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) 75 6. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) 65
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Post by truenorth on May 7, 2023 8:09:46 GMT -8
Sofuoglu on Razgatlioglu’s future: "I have an offer from BMW, Yamaha have offered us a long-term contract" Sunday, 7 May 2023 Toprak Razgatlioglu’s manager, Kenan Sofuoglu, was speaking in the press about the future of the 2021 World Champion As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship continues its Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, talk about the 2024 rider line-up is continuing. With very few riders being contracted for the 2024 season, there are plenty of riders who could be on the move for the 2024 season. One rider whose future is not yet known is Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) with the 2021 Champion’s contract with Yamaha expiring at the end of the 2023 season. Only Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) have contracts for the 2024 campaign so far but Razgatlioglu’s future has been one of the key talking points in Barcelona. Last time out at Assen, his manager, five-time WorldSSP Champion Kenan Sofuoglu, said that he believes Razgatlioglu will continue in WorldSBK after rumours of a possible switch to MotoGP™ resurfaced following a test with Yamaha and that continuing with Yamaha is their first choice. In Free Practice 2, Paul Denning, the Team Principal at Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK, said that he was “blown away” by Yamaha’s offer as the Japanese manufacturer aims to keep hold of the rider who delivered their first WorldSBK title since Ben Spies in 2009 when he beat Rea in an incredible 2021 season. However, Sofuoglu has recently spoken to Speedweek.com about Razgatlioglu’s future. He said: “I rejected Yamaha's offer. They didn’t offer us what I imagined. I had told Yamaha that I wanted a commitment in Catalunya, I wouldn’t talk to any other manufacturer until then. Now I'm talking to others too. I have an offer from BMW and I also talk with Kawasaki and manufacturers in MotoGP™. Toprak thinks highly of the BMW. I don't have an offer from Honda. “When we went to Yamaha in 2020, many also advised me against it and said that this would destroy Toprak's career. Toprak is not completely satisfied at Yamaha at the moment, so we don't see the best Toprak at the moment. On the positive side, Yamaha have offered us a long-term contract and that we have very close relations with Yamaha Turkey. I won't rush anything, maybe we won't decide where Toprak is going until the summer."
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Post by truenorth on May 8, 2023 7:21:42 GMT -8
David Emmett When Jonathan Rea was winning everything, everyone (rightly) accused him of stinking up WorldSBK. It's not new. It's probably even the norm. But let's not pretend nobody said anything at the time.
a comment When Rea won, no one said anything, so shut up❤️ twitter.com/motomatters/st…
Not that there are any easy solutions. The fundamental problem of WorldSBK is that it is a production series. The bikes are modified versions of the bikes they sell to the public. Manufacturers build the bikes they think they can sell, and design around that. Ducati took the useful shortcut of taking the Desmosedici GP15 engine and designing a chassis around that. Took away a lot of the R&D costs of designing a new engine. They can do that because Ducatisti will always buy however many bikes they make.
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Post by truenorth on May 8, 2023 7:51:14 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on May 8, 2023 8:16:11 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on May 9, 2023 8:30:45 GMT -8
Sykes splits with Puccetti Kawasaki after four rounds of 2023 Tuesday, 9 May 2023 The British rider endured a tough start to the 2023 campaign with just a single point from four rounds After four rounds of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Tom Sykes and Kawasaki Puccetti Racing have announced their split after a difficult start to the season which did not yield the results either party desired. Only one point was scored in the 12 races so far with technical issues hampering their results throughout the season so far, with Sykes only finishing in half of the races run and scoring only a single point. Sykes returned to WorldSBK and Kawasaki for the 2023 campaign after a year in the British Superbike championship, with Sykes reunited with the manufacturer he took his one WorldSBK title with back in 2013. His best result this season has been a 15th place at Assen in Race 2, with the 2013 Champion not classified in six of the 12 races this season. After the difficult start to the season, Sykes and Kawasaki Puccetti Racing have agreed to part ways. Discussing his departure from Puccetti Kawasaki, Sykes said: “I had no hesitation in joining the Kawasaki Puccetti team and helping them with the refinement of their Ninja ZX-10RR package. I hope all the data I helped them accumulate over testing and the first races of the season pushes them closer to winning races in the future.” Team Principal Manuel Puccetti was full of praise for Sykes with the hope that his feedback can spur the team on even without Sykes on the bike. He said: “My team, staff and sponsors were honoured to have Tom join us to start the season. As a former World Champion and multiple race winner, his insight has really taken our understanding of the Ninja to the next level. Now he leaves us, and we thank him for all his knowledge and for sharing so much information.”
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Post by truenorth on May 9, 2023 8:32:16 GMT -8
Sykes temporarily returns to the factory BMW team, substituting for recovering van der Mark Tuesday, 9 May 2023 The British rider endured a tough start to the 2023 campaign, and will now return to BMW to replace Michael van der Mark until he has recovered from injury Four rounds have been completed in the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and there will be a slightly different look to the grid going forward after Tom Sykes and Kawasaki Puccetti Racing announced their split 12 races into their partnership. 2013 Champion Sykes will return to BMW temporarily, appearing on the M1000RR machine during this week’s two-day test at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” as well as in races until Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has fully recovered from his injury. Sykes left BMW at the end of the 2021 campaign and made the switch to the British Superbike championship for 2022 but endured a difficult year on Ducati machinery, winning just two races all season. For 2023, he came back to WorldSBK and linked up with Kawasaki, the manufacturer he won his title with, as he signed for the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing squad. However, this season has proven to be difficult for team and rider with just one point to their name so far which came at Assen in Race 2. In 12 races this season, Sykes has only been a classified finisher in six and the partnership has now come to an end. With his collaboration with the Puccetti Kawasaki squad over, Sykes has re-joined German manufacturer BMW, with his first appearance since re-joining at the Misano test. Sykes raced for the manufacturer between 2019 and 2021 for three seasons, taking six podium finishes and three pole positions for BMW. Sykes first rode the BMW S1000RR in 2019 and 2020 before the German manufacturer introduced the M1000RR model in 2021. Sykes has returned to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team to replace van der Mark while the Dutchman continues to recover from the left femur fracture he sustained after a huge highside at his home round at Assen. Although van der Mark has posted on social media about being in light training, there is no date set for his return and Sykes will ride alongside Scott Redding at the factory BMW team until van der Mark returns from injury. “I’m looking forward to temporarily returning to the BMW Motorrad Motorsport and to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team,” Sykes said. “I will work hard to support them as best as possible. I know them from the beginning and was involved in developing the BMW M 1000 RR. Now I get the opportunity to contribute again to the development process. I’m looking forward to getting on the new BMW M 1000 RR at the Misano test. At the same time, I wish my former teammate Mickey all the best on his way to recovery while I give everything to stand in for him in the best possible way.” BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, Marc Bongers, added: “Welcome back, Tom. We are delighted to welcome Tom temporarily back to our WorldSBK family. This opportunity arose as Tom became available. We believe that he will be a great substitute for as long as it takes for Michael to recover from his injury. We are in constant contact with Michael, and he is making good progress. However, there is no date set for his return. Tom is an outstanding rider and, as well as having plenty of WorldSBK experience, he has been familiar with our project and the team from the very start.”
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Post by truenorth on May 9, 2023 8:33:59 GMT -8
HOT HEADLINES FROM BARCELONA: "I don’t know what happened to his brain… it’s a dirty move" Monday, 8 May 2023
The Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round was dramatic, with lots of headlines from the media scrums
The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s fourth round is in the history books and it was another stunning round from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. With rivals clashing, old foes returning to battle and major milestones achieved, the media debriefs were busy on Sunday evening. 2024 talk, testing demands, unexpected struggles and in-depth race reflection all feature in this week’s hot headlines.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “We’re stronger than ever”
A second consecutive triple for Alvaro Bautista, who talks about the feeling of this moment in his career and how it’s different to his first year in Ducati: “I feel very good now and very strong. It’s what I said last year, that I feel in one of my best moments of my career. I still have this feeling. I like the training and preparation at home, not only physically and at the moment I love it, to be a better rider. I can keep racing. But I think one day, as a rider, I’ll think that I don’t want to do it continue, but for now, I love it. In 2019, I made mistakes and we made technical mistakes as the bike was also new, such as trying things that we kept in the wrong way. All together, lost the Championship, but now, we’re stronger than ever.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “I’m very happy for Bahattin… it gave me extra motivation”
Three second places for Toprak Razgatlioglu in Barcelona but a first win in WorldSSP for fellow countryman Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), praise was handed out from one #54 to the other: “I’m very happy for Bahattin and in Indonesia, I was very happy for Can. Also Deniz Oncu is very strong and we’re waiting for him as the others are winning! All of Kenan’s riders are very strong with wins and podiums. I hope one day that we are all World Champions one day in all the categories. In general, for Sunday, I am very happy for Bahattin and I think for me, it gave me extra motivation to be second in Race 2.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I don’t know what happened to his brain… it’s a dirty move, he lost more than me”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi’s wasn’t happy with Axel Bassani on Saturday after their clash: “On the first flying lap, Axel tried to overtake me, and I was a little bit surprised because, during practice, he was pretty slow compared to the top group. Maybe he wanted to do some parts of the race in front. If you see his time at the end of the race, it’s pretty bad compared to the top. Because he’s an Independent rider and I’m a factory rider, he has more fight to overtake me. I re-overtook him and when I did that, there was room. We touched, it was a hard overtake from me, but clean. That means the rider doesn’t lose time, the rider doesn’t crash, and the rider doesn’t go to the green. I don’t know what happened to his brain because, after I overtook him, I rode well. He ran into me on purpose because you can do this if you think ‘I want to make him crash’. He made me crash. There was no space. It’s not a place you can overtake, and you don’t think there’s someone on the outside. He knows what he did. I fell on the ground. He didn’t have the face to come and say sorry which makes him even worse. We see many times with Toprak, Alvaro and Jonny touch each other but they never do this. It’s a dirty move. I think he lost more than me.”
Speaking on Sunday, Rinaldi reviewed his weekend: “It’s been one of the toughest weekends; after Free Practice and you have expectations but then, in Race 1, you crash after two laps and then the rain comes in the Superpole Race, you say ‘why always me?’, but you have to face it like a professional rider. I can be quite happy about how we faced the two hard punches in the face after Race 1 and the Superpole Race. I had no card to play against Toprak.”
Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing): “Michael’s a normal rider like the rest of the grid; if he has a problem with me, he can come to my box and we can speak”
On the other side, Axel Bassani finished P7 after the Race 1 clash, and he had a different view: “He tried to overtake me and touched me. After, I tried to overtake him to stay in second position. I think we had the potential to be on the podium. We touched; I think it’s a normal racing incident. Sometimes it happens. I had my penalty and I finished in seventh position, so I think it’s okay. I saw the possibility to make an overtake so I went in. He tried to close the door to defend his position. I think it’s a normal contact in racing. I repeat, I had penalty, I did it, that’s it. He made the same overtake in Turn 3, this is racing. Every rider tries to put in 100% every lap and tries to defend their position. He tried to defend his position in Turn 3, and I tried to at Turn 10. I think it’s a normal contact. I don’t have problems with Michael. For me, he’s a normal rider like the rest of the grid. If he has a problem with me, he can come to my box and we can speak.”
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “It’s encouraging that Alex had a great race”
A costly Superpole Race error on the final lap meant Race 2 was a long road to recover for Jonathan Rea: “I touched the white line; when Toprak came by, I felt quite close and I wasn’t aiming at the corner. He gave me space but at 320km/h, with the wind buffeting, it knocked me around a little bit, hit the white line and it was enough to put me down. It’s really frustrating as it was a complete knock-on effect for Race 2. I had to clear traffic at the beginning; the Hondas in the first laps were buzzing around. I was attacking them, they were attacking me; then Locatelli was really good, in the final sector he was much faster than me and better getting onto the straight. Everywhere else, I was able to catch him but in doing that, I was abusing my tyre. When I had clear track to Alex and Toprak, I thought the race would come to me but they kept going. I totally burnt too much tyre in the early laps. We made a small change from Saturday and finished the race with a lot more rubber in Race 1, so the small modification to use more tyre wasn’t the right direction. Although it’s frustrating that I couldn’t catch them, it’s encouraging that Alex had a great race. It’s a very tough track for tyres and we were able to compete for podiums. It’s not the weekend we dreamed but it was better than expectations on Friday.”
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “We need to test when the track is at 50 degrees”
With a test at Misano looming large, Alex Lowes isn’t expecting the conditions to be ideal for improving the ZX-10RR’s weak points: “I was looking at the weather for the test and it looks like it could be wet; I don’t need to practice in the wet, I’m pretty good. If it’s not wet, then it will only be maximum 17 degrees, so we’ll go out, keep the bike the same and be as fast as anyone. When we have grip, the bike looks unbelievable and you can’t complain about it. We need to test when the track is at 50 degrees, because then we see that we really struggle. Then, you need to understand how to improve it. The real issue is that we never really test at those temperatures; in the winter, it’s never warm enough and everything works amazingly. We bring new stuff for the bike and if it doesn’t improve the bike, we’ll go back to the base setting. But maybe, if the track was 50 degrees, the new things we have to try could be a lot better.”
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “The feeling is try to continue with Yamaha”
Talking about 2024, Andrea Locatelli is calm so far: “Honestly, I am so happy in Yamaha; when I came here in the first year in 2021, we learnt and improved in every race. I signed for two more years until 2023 as I loved the project and Yamaha were interested to help me and believe in me. In this moment, I am happy about my bike. For sure, we need to improve a little bit on the power but in the end, the balance is not so bad and we’re always working to improve the bike. In every race, we see that one manufacturer has an opportunity. In this time of my career, I am young enough to learn a lot and my target is to win or at least fight for wins and podiums. Honda is a good bike, Kawasaki too, they can improve but we can improve our bike too. The feeling is try to continue with Yamaha.”
Xavi Vierge (Team HRC): “We struggled more than expected… we came home with a top six”
After much hope for Honda, Barcelona wasn’t the perfect homecoming for Xavi Vierge, but a top six on Sunday was strong: “Finally, Race 2 has been good for us and we can show our potential. We expected more from the weekend, but we struggled more than we expected. Also, on Saturday, we had red flags which made our day more difficult and in Superpole, we didn’t react in the best way, and also in Race 1. Anyway, we did a good job and made changes for Sunday to give me more room to push. I think it’s been a solid Sunday and we came home with a top six. Our situation is that we have some potential, but our window is quite small. So, it depends on the track, grip levels and weather. At the test, the grip was amazing, and everyone went so fast and straight to the 1’41s. This weekend, the grip was much lower and we struggled more than testing.”
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