WorldSBK Race 1: Redding claims first WorldSBK win after thrilling five-way battle

Scorching temperatures and scintillating racing from the top five as three manufacturers fight for victory in Jerez.

The long wait for race action in MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship came to an end with a thrilling race one for the Pirelli Spanish Round at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) claimed a hard-fought victory to claim his first WorldSBK win; the first time since 2004 that there have been four different winners in the first four races.

Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) made a good start from the front row to take the lead from polesitter Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) while Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) was also able to jump from fifth to move into second; pushing Redding down into third place.

Redding had to fight his way past Toprak Razgatlioglu on Lap 11 to move back into second place, passing Turkish rider into Turn 6 to move into second place before instantly starting to apply the pressure to Rea. It took just three more laps before Redding would make the move for the lead.
The race winning move came on lap 14 out of 20 when Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) passed Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) down into turn six; using the power of his Ducati to get alongside before forcing the five-time WorldSBK Champion wide to claim the race lead and his first victory since moving to WorldSBK.

Rea came home in second place ahead of Razgatlioglu, who had to fend off a last-lap charge from Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) to hold on to third place. Davies tried to make moves at the right-hander of turn one and around the outside of the turn six hairpin, but he ran wide; Razgatlioglu holding on to take third place with Davies in fourth.

Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was the top independent rider in the race with fifth place, running in the lead quartet for the majority of the race before a late charge from Davies moved him down to fifth place. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) continued his impressive weekend with a sixth-place finish from a 10th place start.

Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) finished in seventh place, four seconds away from Rinaldi and almost in a race of his own in the latter stages as he finished eight seconds clear of eighth-placed Marco Melandri (Barni Racing); the Italian finishing an impressive eighth place after making up 11 places throughout the race. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who led the championship coming into the race, finished in ninth after being passed by Melandri in the latter stages.

Bautista’s Team HRC teammate, Leon Haslam, was 10th ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) and Christophe Ponsson (Nuova M2 Racing) scoring points on his return to the Championship as the privateer team brought Aprilia back to the championship as part of a wildcard plan.

Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in 13th place with Sandro Cortese (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) and Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounding out the points-paying positions. Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance), debutant Lorenzo Gabellini (MIE Racing Althea Honda Team) and teammate Takumi Takahashi were the last classified runners.

Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was running in the leading group but suffered a technical issue as he approached turn one in the early stages of the race, ruling him out of contention in the early stages of the race. He was able to take the bike back to the pit lane despite the issue. Sykes was able to re-join the race on lap 12; the issue not proving to be terminal.

Sykes’ issue was not the only issue during the race as Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) retired from the race on lap 8, lots of smoke coming out the back of his bike forcing him to retire from race one as he was running in the top ten. Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) suffered a high speed crash at turn four but was able to ride the bike back to the pit lane, although it ended his race, while Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) also suffered a crash at turn six.

WorldSBK Race 1 Podium

1. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +1.147
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +2.252

Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati): “What a hot day! I think everybody suffered a lot. I can’t breathe, it’s so hot and humid, it’s so difficult to breathe. When I was behind in the beginning, I couldn’t really focus that well because it was too hot from the two bikes in front. I just did what I could and I knew everyone was going to be suffering a little bit so I tried to use that to my advantage with my training where I put myself into a darker place to suffer more it’s worth it. To get the first pole position and win I’m very happy.”

Tissot Superpole Race: Dominant Rea claims Superpole Race victory

Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea becomes the first repeat winner of the 2020 WorldSBK with Tissot Superpole Race victory.

Track action for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship resumed on Sunday morning with the Tissot Superpole Race; a 10-lap race won by five-time champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) after making a superb start to jump from third on the grid to the race lead and lead all 10 laps.

It was a similar start to Saturday’s race one with polesitter Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) moving down to third at the start, losing out to Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team). The trio separated out at the start and Rea continued to lead throughout the 10-lap race, with Rea taking victory ahead of Redding; Rea’s 90th victory in WorldSBK.

A technical issue for Razgatlioglu as he was battling with Redding meant he did not finish the race; teammate Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) claiming a podium. It means the front row of Race 2 will line up with Rea ahead of Redding and van der Mark.

Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was once again the top Independent rider as the Frenchman claimed fourth on the grid for Race 2 ahead of Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) in fifth and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) bouncing back from issues in Race 1 to claim sixth on the grid for Race 2; although he did drop three places from his starting position.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished in seventh place with American rider Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) in eighth; the first time an American rider has been on the front three rows of the WorldSBK since Nicky Hayden since Buriram Race 2 in 2017. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) claimed the final points-paying position in the Tissot Superpole Race.

Tissot Superpole Race Podium

1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +0.522
3. Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +2.701

WorldSBK Race 2: Redding powers to second victory; Rea only sixth

Ducati secure their first one-two finish in WorldSBK since 2012 as Scott Redding and Chaz Davies claim the top two positions.

MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship action at the Pirelli Spanish Round featured thrilling action across the field as Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) claimed his second WorldSBK victory and his sixth consecutive podium in his rookie season; beating teammate Chaz Davies as Ducati claimed their first 1-2 finish since 2012.

The opening laps featured battles across the top six, with Redding making an early move to pass polesitter Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) on the second lap at the right-hander of Turn 1, while Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) fought his way up from 10th to run in the top five in the early stages of the race.

Redding checked out at the front of the field to extend his lead to two seconds to Rea before the Northern Irishman got passed by Redding’s Ducati teammate Davies. The Welshman and Razgatlioglu both were able to get by Rea temporarily before an ambitious move by Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) meant Lowes outbraked himself at Turn 6; allowing Rea to move back into third place.

Razgatlioglu eventually got by Rea again and held on to third place while Davies was running in second place, behind teammate Redding with the pair able to hold on to take a Ducati one-two. Davies did start closing the gap as the race entered the second half but Redding responded to extend the gap back out to over two seconds, holding on to take his second WorldSBK victory.

Razgatlioglu held on to claim a podium at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, rebounding from a technical issue in the Tissot Superpole Race, for third place in Race 2; pulling away from Rea and Lowes as they fought with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN). Rinaldi passed Lowes at Turn 5 before setting his sights on five-time Champion Rea, making a move up the inside of the Turn 13 hairpin on Lap 13 on the brakes; moving into fourth place and securing his joint-best WorldSBK finish – which was claimed at Jerez in 2019.

Lowes and Rea came home in fifth and sixth place respectively ahead of Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) in seventh place, the Dutch rider just over a second behind the reigning World Champion. He had a gap of over four seconds to Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC), the highest placed Honda rider on the grid in eighth place. Marco Melandri’s (Barni Racing Team) impressive race pace continued to show as he made up 10 places from 19th on the grid to finish ninth.

American rider Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) completed the top 10 with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) the highest placed BMW rider in 11th place, finishing two seconds behind Gerloff. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) finished in 12th, around 10 seconds off his Honda teammate.

Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in 13th place as he completed the 20-lap race just under a second behind Haslam, and also beating Sandro Cortese (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR) by almost six seconds. Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) picked up the final point available for Race 2, almost pipping Cortese as the pair were separated by two tenths.

Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) had been running in the lead group during the early stages of the race, but he came off his bike at Turn 13 on Lap 6 to take himself out of contention; the Frenchman eventually being classified in 17th place behind Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team).

Christophe Ponsson (Nuova M2 Racing) was not classified following a crash while Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea Honda Team) suffered from a crash on Lap 6 at Turn 5. Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) were both also not classified in Race 2.

Redding’s victory makes him the first British rookie in WorldSBK to achieve six consecutive podiums, while Ducati’s 1-2 was the first since Assen’s Race 1 of 2012, when Sylvain Guintoli took a career-first win, Davide Giugliano took a career-first podium and reigning Champion Carlos Checa was a mighty third. In contrast, Jonathan Rea’s sixth place is the lowest he’s finished a race since Laguna Seca’s Race 1 from 2014, when he was sixth on that day.

WorldSBK Race 2 Podium

1. Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
2. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) +3.082
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) +5.472

Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati): “That was good. I was a bit more experienced after the races in Phillip Island and Race 1 at Jerez. I’m still a fresh rider here so I need to understand the tyres and the riders. I felt very confident that I could manage the gap a little bit. I managed it pretty well. I saw Chaz coming a little bit when I tried to save the tyres, so I tried to maintain the gap. To be honest, it’s amazing to have two wins, pole position and a second position here. It’s the target of me and the team. Ducati have done a great job to give me a bike that’s able to win races and I hope we can continue those performances because we’re working very hard.”

WorldSSP Race 1: Locatelli takes WorldSSP race one in sweltering Jerez heat

Scorching temperatures can’t stop Locatelli making it two wins in two races as he wins in Andalusia.

With track temperatures hitting and exceeding 60°c during the FIM Supersport World Championship Race 1, the opening WorldSSP race from the Pirelli Spanish took place in sweltering conditions but that did not stop Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) taking victory despite an early-race battle with Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha).

Locatelli held the lead off the line but French rider Cluzel made the move to take the lead on the opening lap of the race. He was able to hold the lead until lap five when Locatelli was able to make a move back to take the lead and promptly extended his lead to Cluzel to take the Italian rider out of range; eventually finishing the race three seconds clear of Cluzel.

Cluzel finished a comfortable second, with a margin of almost five seconds, despite the lead group of three to break away along with Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing); Cluzel able to finish X seconds clear of German rider Oettl. Oettl also had a comfortable run to the podium on his Kawasaki ZX-6R, the top Kawasaki rider in Race 1 with both Locatelli and Cluzel both riding Yamaha YZF R6 machines.

Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) claimed a hard-fought fourth place ahead of Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in Race 1; the pair fighting on the last lap with Mahias making a move through the fast right-handers towards the end of the lap to secure fourth place. De Rosa had been closing in on Mahias throughout the latter stages and passed him at Turn 6, the pair getting their elbows out as they made their way through the corner.

Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) finished in sixth place as he held off a challenge from Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha). The pair were separated by just three tenths of a second as they crossed the line with 2019 WorldSSP300 Champion Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) finishing in eighth. Spaniard Gonzalez had to fight off Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) and Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) who rounded out the top 10; the trio separated by seven tenths as they crossed the line.

Alejandro Ruiz (EMPERADOR Racing Team) finished an impressive 11th place after starting at the back of the grid following a penalty for incorrect tyre pressures; making up a number of positions throughout the 17-lap race to secure a points finish. Ruiz, the highest-placed finisher in the WorldSSP Challenge, finished two-and-a-half seconds clear of Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) in 12th.

Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) finished in 13th place, three seconds behind Webb but a comfortable nine seconds clear of Belgian rider Loris Cresson (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth). Cresson was 16 seconds clear of WorldSSP Challenge competitor Luigi Montella (DK MOTORSPORT), who claimed the final point to be awarded in the race with 15th. Lachlan Epis (MPM Routz Racing Team) was classified in 16th place.

Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) was running strongly in the points during his race but the WorldSSP Challenge competitor had a crash late in the race; the Italian taken to the medical centre for checks following the incident but was declared fit after the check-up. Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) and Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) had an incident at Turn 4 which meant Hungarian rider Sebestyen retired from the race and was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the incident; later being declared unfit due to concussion. Verdoïa was able to continue in the race but later had an issue which meant he temporarily stopped on track.

Other retirements in the race included Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing), Hikari Okubo (Dynavolt Honda), Patrick Hobelsberger (Dynavolt Honda) and Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing); the Spanish rider starting from the back of the grid following a stewards’ decision for incorrect tyre pressures.

WorldSSP Race 1 Podium

1. Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
2. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) +3.052
3. Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +7.766

Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team): “It’s a fantastic day today, we did a good job, but the conditions are very crazy. It’s so hot and so difficult to push on the bike but we need to understand to take a bit more confidence in these conditions because it’s important for tomorrow and the second race. I think we did a really good job today and this is important for the Championship and also for me. “

WorldSSP Race 2: Locatelli makes it two from two at Jerez

Italian rookie Andrea Locatelli continued his fine form at the Pirelli Spanish Round with another victory.

The second race of FIM Supersport World Championship was full of drama both during the race and the warm-up lap as Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) claimed his third victory in WorldSSP and his second of the Pirelli Spanish Round; maintaining his 100% win record since moving to the WorldSSP grid and making history: Locatelli is the first Italian rider to three consecutive WorldSSP races.

Italian rookie Locatelli held his lead off the start and pulled away by around six tenths before extending his lead throughout the duration of the shortened race; the race distance reduced from 17 laps to 11 following a bizarre warm-up clash between Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) and Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse); Bassani running into the back of de Rosa on the run to Turn 1. Bassani was unable to take the delayed race start but MV Agusta were able to repair de Rosa’s bike and the Italian joined the race, finishing in fifth.

Locatelli beat Jules Cluzel (GMT94) to claim his third consecutive race victory, with Cluzel having finished second in all three WorldSSP races in 2020 as both Locatelli and Cluzel are showing remarkable consistency in the early stages of the season. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) claimed the final podium spot during the shortened race.

Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished a comfortable fourth place, with a gap of 3.4 seconds to Mahias in third but finishing just shy of two seconds clear of de Rosa; the Italian fighting his way through the field after the warm-up lap crash. He had a battle with Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) for fifth place, the pair separated by just 0.152s.

Spanish rider Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing) was seventh, making up for a disappointing Saturday where he had to start from the back of the grid before a retirement in Race 1 as he finished just three tenths behind Perolari. South African rider Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) and Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) had a drag race to the line with Odendaal just holding on to ninth place by just 0.002s.

Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) completed the top ten with the Spanish rider finishing two seconds clear of Danny Web (WRP Wepol Racing) in 11th. Turkish sensation Can Öncü, who was the youngest rider to win a World Championship race while competing in Moto3™, scored points with 12th place.

Alejandro Ruiz (EMPERADOR Racing Team), who battled from the back of the grid yesterday, finished 13th ahead of Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) with Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) claiming the final point ahead of teammate Galang Hendra Pratama who finished in 16th place.

Dynavolt Honda duo Patrick Hobelsberger and Hikari Okubo both retired from the race with incidents; Okubo being taken to the medial centre following his crash on Lap 3 for a check-up. Bassani did not start the race following the warm-up crash with de Rosa, the only three riders who were not classified in the race.

WorldSSP Race 2 Podium

1. Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
2. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) +1.867
3. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +2.146

Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team): “We did an incredible job today and I’m really, really happy. The conditions are so difficult, but we can push every time and the work of the team is good. Now we focus on Portimao and I look forward to the round.”

Photos courtesy Graeme Brown