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Post by truenorth on Jan 18, 2024 13:33:48 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jan 19, 2024 5:27:10 GMT -8
Toprak Razgatlioglu & his 2024 BMW M 1000 RR
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Post by truenorth on Jan 20, 2024 12:21:54 GMT -8
Mat Oxley Surprised by the lack of Red Bull on the Gresini GP23s. Red Bull has split from Repsol Honda, so I assumed they'd be with Gresini, but looks like they'll stick with personal sponsorship with Alex and Marc. I've heard GASGAS will run Red Bull livery.
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Post by truenorth on Jan 20, 2024 12:23:18 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jan 20, 2024 12:28:26 GMT -8
MM: "The way to approach corners is completely different [with the Ducati]. Corner exit is really good, really smooth, but I need to learn to use that extra power & grip."
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Post by truenorth on Jan 21, 2024 6:30:05 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jan 22, 2024 9:44:26 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jan 24, 2024 13:09:24 GMT -8
DAY 1 REPORT: Bulega’s brilliance puts him P1 by a second, Razgatlioglu P3 for BMW with Bautista tenth Wednesday, 24 January 2024 A vital test as teams and riders prepare for the season, with some competitors happy with how day one went and others left with some overnight homework… Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) might be a rookie but eyes will already be turning to him after yet another impressive testing performance in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. As the majority of the paddock headed to the south of Spain and the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, it was the reigning WorldSSP Champion who stole the headlines. He lapped more than a second clear and was close to the outright lap record after utilising the SCQ tyre to full effect in the final hour of the day, while teammate Alvaro Bautista was down in tenth. MIXED FEELINGS: Bulega storms to top spot as Bautista scrapes into the top ten Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) stormed to the top of the times on day one as he posted a 1’38.292s using Pirelli’s SCQ tyre, with his fastest time coming in the final hour of the day, shortly before he had a small technical issue. Bulega, who completed 71 laps, finished 1.5s clear of teammate Alvaro Bautista down in tenth, with the reigning Champion on track for the first time following the injuries he sustained in testing here in November. The #1 was also looking at how best to minimise the impact of the ballast he’ll need to use with the new weight rules that come into effect for 2024. In terms of Independent Ducatis, Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) was seventh with 67 laps to his name as he continued understanding the Panigale V4 R, while Danilo Petrucci (BARNI Spark Racing Team) was ninth with a 1’39.773s. The #9 was trying a lower seat to help improve the centre of gravity and find performance benefits from this with Petrucci completing 66 laps. The final Independent Ducati rider was Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in 15th place as he continues his adjustment from Moto2™ to WorldSBK. His best was a 1’40.133s as he completed 82 laps. ALEX LOWES LEADS KRT CHARGE: second despite only recording a handful of laps Despite feeling unwell and only completing 31 laps, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was able to take second place. His 1’39.474s was enough to finish as the lead Kawasaki rider as he tried new components, and will at Portimao next week, including front and rear suspension items, electronics, seat positions and fuel tank. Teammate Axel Bassani finished in 14th place after setting a 1’40.059s as he continued adjusting to the ZX-10RR and its inline-4 engine configuration, with the #47 completing 77 laps. The sole Independent Kawasaki rider, Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was three places and five tenths behind Bassani, with the Spaniard using a factory bike leased from KRT in the hope that more data will help take forward steps more quickly. A STRONG DAY FOR BMW: Razgatlioglu and van der Mark both make the top four… It was a busy but impressive day for BMW with 10 bikes and six riders to get data from, with the test team in attendance alongside the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and Bonovo Action BMW squad. Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed third with a 1’39.521s, lapping quicker today than he did in either Race 1 or Race 2 with Yamaha during the round here in October, as he went in search of a good setup on his M 1000 RR, while also looking for improvements with the electronic setup. Teammate Michael van der Mark was fourth, only 0.010s down on the #54. For the test team, Bradley Smith and Sylvain Guintoli rounded out the field but added a combined 111 laps to the German manufacturer’s total for the day. Both Razgatlioglu and van der Mark completed more than 70 laps as they finished in the top four. Next door at the Bonovo Action BMW squad, Garrett Gerloff took eighth as he tested new parts while also hoping to look at Razgatlioglu’s strategy under braking and for the engine brake. The American completed 73 laps and posted a best time of 1’39.763s for P8, while teammate Scott Redding was in 13th. The Brit, who also had new parts, set a best time of 1’40.042s and completed 56 laps. GARDNER ON TOP AT YAMAHA AGAIN: evenly matched with Rea on day one Yamaha enjoyed a solid day on day one with two riders inside the top ten. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the lead Yamaha rider in fifth place after the Australian set a 1’39.679s and completed 83 laps, making him one of the busiest riders on track. He was just 0.003s clear of six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in sixth, with the Northern Irishman completing 72 laps on his way to a best time of 1’39.682s. Rea’s teammate, Andrea Locatelli, narrowly missed out on a spot in the top ten as he worked with new crew chief Tom O’Kane for the first time, and adding 72 laps to Yamaha’s total as he set a 1’39.917s. Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) was 12th on his first outing on the Yamaha YZF-R1 following his switch from Team GoEleven, just a tenth behind Locatelli. Elsewhere at Yamaha, GRT Yamaha’s Dominique Aegerter didn’t complete any laps on day one. A suspected viral infection ruled him out of action, and he will be re-assessed tomorrow. LOTS TO BUILD ON: both Honda riders outside the top ten… Honda featured just two riders at the test, with Team HRC’s Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge flying the flag for the Japanese manufacturer. Lecuona completed 52 laps on his way to 16th place as he set a 1’40.379s while Vierge was two places and almost four tenths back from his teammate. The pair were continuing to adjust to the new CBR1000RR-R machine as they look to refine it. FOUR MANUFACTURERS IN THE TOP FOUR: nothing to keep the lead WorldSSP riders apart… In WorldSSP, several riders were testing at Jerez alongside the WorldSBK stars. The World Supersport field was led by Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) as the German posted a 1’42.015s to claim P1 ahead of Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) with just a tenth separating the two. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was third as he took to the track on his ZX-6R featuring upgrades, while the Turk was also building up fitness following surgery on his arm over the winter. He was only 0.015s behind Manzi, while Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) completed the top four. The top ten from day one: 1 Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’38.292s, 71 laps 2. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’39.474s, 31 laps 3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’39.521s, 74 laps 4. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’39.531s, 72 laps 5. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1’39.679s, 83 laps 6. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) 1’39.682s, 72 laps 7. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) 1’39.664s, 67 laps 8. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) 1’39.763s, 73 laps 9. Danilo Petrucci (BARNI Spark Racing Team) 1’39.773s, 66 laps 10. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’39.847s, 68 laps
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Post by truenorth on Jan 24, 2024 13:19:42 GMT -8
"If the bike didn’t have potential, we wouldn’t have done a 1’39s" – Razgatlioglu hopeful after Day 1 Wednesday, 24 January 2024 BMW’s new recruit, Toprak Razgatlioglu, was quick from the start at the Jerez test with the Turk optimistic there’s more to come… As Day 1 at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto provided the first look of Toprak Razgatlioglu at the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team alongside his rivals, all eyes were on the 2021 Champion to see how he would fare on the M 1000 RR. He was quick out of the blocks to post representative lap times in the 1’39s bracket to top the times during the early running, before ending the day in third place on what was a positive day for BMW in testing for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. TWO BMWS IN THE TOP FOUR: a strong start for the factory BMW outfit as they ‘show potential’ Razgatlioglu and teammate van der Mark finished in P3 and P4 respectively at the end of the first day’s running, completing more than 70 laps each, with the #54 pipping van der Mark by just 0.010s. Razgatlioglu started his day with the SC0 tyre and was immediately in the 1’39s bracket, while a run on the SCQ tyre didn’t provide the expected benefits. Despite not improving by much on the Superpole tyre, the Turkish star was left feeling happy after a first test session in the dry after a disrupted programme in December last year. Expanding on the opening day at Jerez, Razgatlioglu said: “I’m very happy to have good weather, finally! In my first tests, it was a little bit late, and we didn’t have a fully dry session. Now we have a fully dry track and, we showed our potential. This morning, in the first five laps, I did a 1’39.8s with the SC0 tyre. This is very good. I immediately saw 1’39s and thought it was good because people said BMW’s not ready to be a Championship bike, but if the bike didn’t have potential, we wouldn’t have done a 1’39s. It looks like the bike has potential. We need time and to improve the bike because I’m still learning it. I’m riding the bike for a full day; I’m learning a lot and so are the team. My style is probably a bit different, so my team are learning my style. In general, I’m happy. It’s been a positive test. Bulega did a good lap time with the SCQ tyre, but I don’t understand why the other riders didn’t do this. Maybe it's the same problem with grip.” TIME TO FIND: “I hope we improve the bike and try the SCQ again to make a good lap time…” The one-time Champion spent four seasons with Yamaha before switching to BMW for the 2024 season and, with more kilometres on the M 1000 RR secured, explained how the bike differs from the YZF-R1 he raced from 2020 to 2023. He also expressed his hope to gain more time on the SCQ tyre in Thursday’s running after not being able to find a huge amount of time on Wednesday, while also explaining that there’s a lot of new parts for him to test on Day 2. Razgatlioglu added: “After riding for a different brand, the bike feels completely different. The electronics are different. I’ve almost adapted; not 100% but almost. Today, we tried some new parts and tomorrow there are many new parts. I hope we improve the bike; this is all I’m focused on. On the last run, I tried the SCQ tyre just to understand it because I’ve not tried it with this bike. I need to understand the balance because, always when you put the Q tyre on, the bike is always changing. The bike completely changed today. I was just one tenth faster than with the race tyre. Tomorrow, we also have the SCQ tyre. I hope we improve the bike and try it again to make a good lap time.”
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Post by truenorth on Jan 24, 2024 14:05:54 GMT -8
David Emmett Safety upgrades to be made to the Jerez circuit. Runoff at Turn 2 and Turn 10 to be increased.
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Post by truenorth on Jan 24, 2024 14:11:53 GMT -8
the VR46 Ducatis in 2024
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Post by truenorth on Jan 25, 2024 9:44:52 GMT -8
2024 Jerez January WorldSBK Day 2 Test Times: Bulega Fastest, Rea And BMWs Catch Up By David Emmett | Thu, 25/01/2024 Nicolo Bulega has laid down a marker in the World Superbike class, comfortably topping both days of testing at the first test of the year at Jerez. His lap of 1'37.809 is the fastest ever lap of Jerez on a WorldSBK machine.
Any fears this would be a Ducati whitewash were unfounded, however, as there was a solid mix of machinery behind the Aruba.it rider. Jonathan Rea, clearly comfortable on the Yamaha, ended a good day of testing in second, half a second behind Bulega.
Behind Rea, the BMWs of Scott Redding and Toprak Razgatlioglu were third and fourth, a quarter of a second behind Rea. Garrett Gerloff made it three BMWs in the top six, the American three tenths behind his teammate Scott Redding, and just under a tenth behind newcomer Andrea Iannone in fifth. Sam Lowes, another newcomer, ended the test in seventh on the MarcVDS Ducati.
Reigning world champion Alvaro Bautista had a difficult first test after the winter break, ending both days in 16th, 1.774 seconds behind his Aruba.it Ducati teammate. Bautista told the WorldSBK website that he still had some pain in his back and neck from the injury he suffered at a crash during the post season test last year, and which had prevented him from training. But he had been able to work on finding the optimum place for the additional weight he will have to carry this year, and a weight distribution that worked for him.
Testing continues in Portimão in Portugal next week.
World Superbike Day 2 times (all riders faster on day 2):
Pos No Rider Bike Time Diff Prev 1 11 Nicolo Bulega Ducati Panigale V4R 1:37.809 2 65 Jonathan Rea Yamaha YZF R1 1:38.345 0.536 0.536 3 45 Scott Redding BMW M 1000 RR 1:38.572 0.763 0.227 4 54 Toprak Razgatlioglu BMW M 1000 RR 1:38.638 0.829 0.066 5 29 Andrea Iannone Ducati Panigale V4R 1:38.744 0.935 0.106 6 31 Garret Gerloff BMW M 1000 RR 1:38.832 1.023 0.088 7 14 Sam Lowes Ducati Panigale V4R 1:38.852 1.043 0.020 8 87 Remy Gardner Yamaha YZF R1 1:38.871 1.062 0.019 9 9 Danilo Petrucci Ducati Panigale V4R 1:38.907 1.098 0.036 10 55 Andrea Locatelli Yamaha YZF R1 1:38.943 1.134 0.036 11 22 Alex Lowes Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1:38.989 1.180 0.046 12 5 Philipp Öttl Yamaha YZF R1 1:39.039 1.230 0.050 13 60 Michael Vd Mark BMW M 1000 RR 1:39.224 1.415 0.185 14 47 Axel Bassani Yamaha YZF R1 1:39.413 1.604 0.189 15 21 Michael Ruben Rinaldi Ducati Panigale V4R 1:39.504 1.695 0.091 16 1 Alvaro Bautista Ducati Panigale V4R 1:39.583 1.774 0.079 17 97 Xavi Vierge Honda CBR1000 RR-R 1:39.915 2.106 0.332 18 53 Tito Rabat Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1:40.100 2.291 0.185 19 7 Iker Lecuona Honda CBR1000 RR-R 1:40.237 2.428 0.137 20 50 Sylvain Guintoli BMW M 1000 RR 1:40.866 3.057 0.629 21 38 Bradley Smith BMW M 1000 RR 1:41.266 3.457 0.400 22 121 Florian Marino Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1:41.316 3.507 0.050 World Supersport Day 2 times:
Pos No Rider Bike Time Diff Prev 1 62 Stefano Manzi Yamaha YZF R6 1:41.388 2 61 Can Öncü Kawasaki ZX-6R 1:41.724 0.336 0.336 3 99 Adrian Huertas Ducati Panigale V2 1:41.942 0.554 0.218 4 154 Bahattin Sofuoglu MV Agusta F3 800 RR 1:41.977 0.589 0.035 5 23 Marcel Schroetter MV Agusta F3 800 RR 1:42.040 0.652 0.063 6 155 Yari Montella Ducati Panigale V2 1:42.102 0.714 0.062 7 64 Federico Caricasulo MV Agusta F3 800 RR 1:42.234 0.846 0.132 8 44 Lucas Mahias Yamaha YZF R6 1:42.590 1.202 0.356 9 28 Glenn Van Straalen Yamaha YZF R6 1:43.245 1.857 0.655 10 105 Niccolo Antonelli Ducati Panigale V2 1:43.282 1.894 0.037 11 12 Gabriel Giannini Kawasaki ZX-6R 1:43.671 2.283 0.389 12 74 Piotr Biesiekirski Ducati Panigale V2 1:43.746 2.358 0.075 13 78 Hikari Okubo Kawasaki ZX-6R 1:44.708 3.320 0.962 World Supersport combined times:
Pos No Rider Bike Time Diff Prev 1 62 Stefano Manzi Yamaha YZF R6 1:41.388 2 61 Can Öncü Kawasaki ZX-6R 1:41.724 0.336 0.336 3 99 Adrian Huertas Ducati Panigale V2 1:41.942 0.554 0.218 4 154 Bahattin Sofuoglu MV Agusta F3 800 RR 1:41.977 0.589 0.035 5 23 Marcel Schroetter MV Agusta F3 800 RR 1:42.015 0.627 0.038 6 155 Yari Montella Ducati Panigale V2 1:42.102 0.714 0.087 7 64 Federico Caricasulo MV Agusta F3 800 RR 1:42.234 0.846 0.132 8 44 Lucas Mahias Yamaha YZF R6 1:42.590 1.202 0.356 9 28 Glenn Van Straalen Yamaha YZF R6 1:43.245 1.857 0.655 10 105 Niccolo Antonelli Ducati Panigale V2 1:43.282 1.894 0.037 11 12 Gabriel Giannini Kawasaki ZX-6R 1:43.671 2.283 0.389 12 74 Piotr Biesiekirski Ducati Panigale V2 1:43.746 2.358 0.075 13 78 Hikari Okubo Kawasaki ZX-6R 1:44.404 3.016 0.658
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Post by truenorth on Jan 26, 2024 8:38:49 GMT -8
Van der Mark, Redding at odds over T13 incident: "It’s just disrespectful… No hard feelings from my side" Friday, 26 January 2024 The two BMW riders were looking to be behind stablemate Razgatlioglu to learn from the Turk, but ended up in a battle over track position As Day 2 drew to a close at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto and riders looked to put in a flying lap on the SCQ tyre, there was drama heading into the final corner between two former teammates. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) had a coming together at the Turn 13 left-hand hairpin as they looked to follow van der Mark’s teammate, Toprak Razgatlioglu, through the final run of the day as MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship teams tested in Spain. With Razgatlioglu leading the trio around the track, both van der Mark and Redding were looking to be in position to follow the #54 around a flying lap as all three looked to improve their lap times but also understand how the bike behaves with the SCQ tyre on. While Razgatlioglu was able to stay in front, the squabbling started behind him with van der Mark and Redding fighting over track position which resulted in some small contact between the pair. After the day concluded, both riders gave their thoughts on the incident. “I WANT TO TRY TO FOLLOW TOPRAK; I WANT TO LEARN”: Redding on the van der Mark incident Explaining the incident from his point of view, Redding stated he was trying to follow Razgatlioglu to learn. He said: “The two factory guys went out in front, and obviously I want to try to follow Toprak; I want to learn, I want to see. I passed van der Mark twice already on the lap and he passed me back, it was one of those things. He was desperate to stay there, I was desperate to stay there. I passed him into Turn 9, he passed me back and I passed him into T11. In the last corner, he tried to outbrake me on the outside; it was a risky move. Crazy to do that, if I were him, I would’ve just accepted it and followed me. Then we went up to Turn 1, I went for a late entry, and he just went up the inside, so it ruined my first lap on the SCQ. I took it easy, was able to build some momentum and push again at the end and set my best lap. Overall, it worked out well for me. Times are tight and everyone wants to be there with the best. It wasn’t me trying to be an idiot, I just wanted to follow the best like I did last year in Superpole. I did everything I could to be behind the best in Superpole. I wanted to see what my full potential was. We didn’t look to go out with them, we exited the box and they exited at the same time. I thought it was meant to be and to make the most of it, but it didn’t really happen but there’s no hard feelings from my side.” “HE WANTED TO PROVE SOMETHING, PUT EVERYTHING ON INSTAGRAM TO SHOW WHO’S THE BEST” – van der Mark’s view… When Redding’s view of the incident was put to van der Mark, the Dutchman said: “He did nothing wrong? Well, honestly, I went out and followed Toprak. All three of us went out on a SCQ and I wanted to take the tow of Toprak and I was almost in his arse. Scott decided to pass me halfway around the lap. I didn’t leave a gap between me and Toprak. He wanted to be between us. I passed him back again. At the last corner, he decided to dive up the inside again, hit me, and he messed up Turn 1 and then he messed up my first sector. There’s no rule for this, it’s just disrespectful. I have no words for this. It’s a test, not a race weekend. For himself, he wanted to prove something, put everything on Instagram again to show who’s the best and have a good night’s sleep. I tried to outbrake him on the outside before he hit me. I wanted to go in front again.” “THIS IS REALLY STRANGE BECAUSE IT’S NOT A RACE WEEKEND”: Razgatlioglu gives his thoughts Although he was ahead of the incident, Razgatlioglu was able to speak briefly about it, describing it as “really strange” as it’s only a test. He said: “In the last run, we did with Mikey, but Scott also joined, and he was fighting with Mikey a little bit. This is really strange because it’s not a race weekend, it’s a test. He tried to follow me, and, in the end, he made a good lap time.”
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Post by truenorth on Jan 28, 2024 13:39:19 GMT -8
Mat Oxley Former factory Ducati and Honda team manager Livio Suppo is back. He's working as a consultant with the Italtrans Moto2 team, with team manager Roberto Brivio and riders Diogo Moreira and Dennis Foggia.
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Post by truenorth on Jan 28, 2024 13:40:47 GMT -8
Gentlemen, 'There is no money.' The Argentine GP is suspended from MotoGP.
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Post by truenorth on Jan 29, 2024 10:04:05 GMT -8
David Emmett Monday Jn 29 24 WorldSBK are testing again, now at Portimão. They were joined by a few MotoGP riders, including Valentino Rossi. Bulega continues to impress, Rea and Toprak have done well to adapt to their new bikes, Bautista is a little better. Marc Marquez is out on track in Portimao sampling his new day-to-day company motorcycle, together with the lads from the VR46 Academy...
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Post by truenorth on Jan 29, 2024 10:17:30 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jan 29, 2024 10:30:02 GMT -8
Pedro Acosta New colors, new challenges, new era. tech3racing & gasgas.motorsports, I’m ready!
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Post by truenorth on Jan 29, 2024 10:31:35 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jan 29, 2024 10:48:07 GMT -8
David Emmett No transponders for the Marquez brothers at Portimão. Sensible really, if a shame for us.
Nicolo Bulega fastest again so far (after only a couple of hours) at Portimão. A real added benefit to the championship
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