Archive for the ‘WorldSBK.com’ Category
Laverty on the top step in Race 2
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Sunday, 9th June 2013, 17:12 GMTEugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) was the winner of Race 2 at Portimao. The Irishman, back on the podium after one round of absence, managed to score his 4th victory of the season. Of the seven wins achieved so far in his WSBK career, six of them came in the second race. The only rider able to keep up with the winner, at least in the first half of the race, was Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike). The Ulsterman was edged out of 2nd place in the closing stages by Sylvain Guintoli, who completed the third one-two for the works Aprilia team in 2013 after the total domination of the Season Opener in Phillip Island. Thanks to his podium finish number 9 in the season, the Frenchman is still the Championship leader with 209 points ahead of Tom Sykes. The Kawasaki Racing Team rider, who had a very early crash on the sighting lap, at Turn 2, managed after several attempts to make his way back to the pits, from where he started the race. Towards the end of Lap 1 the Englishman had to pull in again but, after returning to the track for the third time, with no chances left for a top-15 finish, Sykes showed an incredible pace and even set the new lap record in 1'42.475. The Kawasaki Racing Team had something to cheer anyway, as Loris Baz finished fourth ahead of Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet), a tenacious Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare) and Jules Cluzel (FIXI Crescent Suzuki). An excessive rear tyre wear forced Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) to ride defensively to a 12th place at the flag. The issue that hampered the performance of the Italian rider is currently under investigation by Pirelli. A technical problem is the reason behind the withdrawal from Race 2 by Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) on the twelfth lap. Read article
Lowes extends his Championship lead at Portimao
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Sunday, 9th June 2013, 14:37 GMTA thrilling and spectacular 4-way finale was the highest point of an incredible World Supersport race at Portimao, won by Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) over Mahi Racing Team India duo of Fabien Foret and Kenan Sofuoglu. Thanks to his fourth consecutive win of the season, the Brit extends his Championship lead to 39 points on the defending WSS Champion. Rookie and potential podium finisher Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport) ended up in fourth place. All four riders waited for the closing stages to give everything they had, but Lowes' last move at Turn 11 on Foret proved to be a successful one as the pole-sitter managed to stay on the lead up to the chequered flag, while the Frenchman and Sofuoglu kept contesting the remaining podium positions. Van der Mark had his shot at the front in the closing stages but once being passed back by the hungry trio he had to settle for an encouraging 4th, considering his still not ideal fitness condition. Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda) and Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda) mixed up front in the early part, eventually finishing 5th and 6th respectively despite a big gap from the front. Read article
Melandri wins Race 1 at the finish line
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Sunday, 9th June 2013, 13:22 GMTMarco Melandri has won Race 1 at Portimao, following a close battle in the closing stages with Sylvain Guintoli that ended up with just a 0.007 gap between the two at the finish line - 4th smallest margin for victory ever in a WSBK race. A perfect exit out of the last corner was just not enough for the Championship leader to snatch victory over the Italian. Aprilia's race outcome was well saved by the Frenchman after team mate's Eugene Laverty unfortunate retire on lap 12, consequence of a technical problem he sustained while he was on the lead. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) - the only first row starter to finish the race - completed the podium with a solid 3rd place, after losing some ground from the top in the final part. Best result so far in the season for Leon Camier and the FIXI Crescent Suzuki Team, as the tall British rider finished 4th ahead of a sore Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) and Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma Aprilia). Camier's team mate Jules Cluzel got the better of Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare) on the last lap, finishing 8th. Pata Honda Team's unfortunate first race of the day saw Jonathan Rea retiring due to a technical problem and Leon Haslam pulling in after losing the feeling in both arms, as the 30 year old from Derby was trying to compensate the lack of strength in his injured left leg. Read article
Barrier new leader after Portimao win
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Sunday, 9th June 2013, 10:35 GMTSylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) has won today's FIM Superstock 1000 Cup race at Portimao to become the new leader in the standings with an only one-point margin over Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Ducati). The reigning Champion led the race for the most part and successfully started to pull away from the chasing pack on Lap 5, as soon as Lorenzo Savadori (Team Pedercini Kawasaki), who was running second at that time, lost the front of his ZX-10R at Turn 14. While Barrier managed to keep a comfortable gap to cross the line a lonely first, the remaining positions on the podium were contested by Eddi La Marra and Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki), as the Frenchman got side by side to edge the Italian on the final straight and eventually finish 3rd for a matter of 0.027 seconds. Team Pedercini's Leandro Mercado was 4th with Niccolò Canepa (Barni Racing Ducati) and team mate Alessandro Andreozzi to follow. South Africa's David McFadden scored his best result of the season by finishing eight at his first race with newly joined Garnier Racing Team BMW after a close battle with Marco Bussolotti (Rider Promotion by T. Trasimeno BMW). France's Romain Lanusse (MRS Kawasaki) wasted an opportunity for a top-4 finish due to a crash on the ninth lap out of twelve. Read article
Morbidelli wins after thrilling finale
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 8th June 2013, 19:25 GMTFranco Morbidelli (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki) has won a spectacular and unpredictable Superstock 600 race at Portimao, following a close 4-way battle for the victory in the closing stages. The maiden STK600 victory for the 19 year old Italian - who was warmly cheered by WSBK rider Michel Fabrizio at Parc Fermé later on - was a pure example of perfect race craft, especially on the last lap, as he fought side by side with Tony Covena for the lead until the Dutchman went wide at Turn 13, allowing Bastien Chesaux (EAB Ten Kate Junior Honda) and Gauthier Duwelz (MTM-MVR Racing Yamaha) to get through. While Morbidelli managed to defend his small margin to cross the line as race winner, Duwelz was able to make a last second pass over Chesaux on the finish straight for 2nd, with a clearly disappointed Covena (Nito Racing Kawasaki) to follow in 4th place after an exciting performance on track. Pole-sitter Adrian Nestorovic's race drew to a very early end at the first turn of the race after high-siding and landing badly on the tarmac. The MTM-MVR Racing Team rider is currently being checked over at the Medical Centre. Read article
Pole despite crash for Barrier
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 8th June 2013, 19:20 GMTAn early crash at Turn 14 did not allow Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) to improve his lap-time set yesterday in Qualifying 1, but didn't prevent the defending STK1000 Champion from scoring his 3rd pole position of the season. Monza race winner Lorenzo Savadori (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) was able to close on the lead at his penultimate quick lap attempt before the flag in today's second qualifying session, eventually finishing 2nd with a 0.071 seconds gap from tomorrow's pole-sitter. Italy's Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Ducati) secured the last slot of the first row by ending up third ahead of MRS Kawasaki duo of former STK600 Champion Jeremy Guarnoni and Romain Lanusse. Championship leader Niccolò Canepa will need a good start in tomorrow's race as he ended up qualifying in 8th place behind Argentinean Leandro Mercado (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and Czech Ondrej Jezek (Sk Energy - Fany Gastro Ducati). Read article
Lowes for another pole position over Sofuoglu
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 8th June 2013, 18:25 GMTYakhnich Motorsport Yamaha's Sam Lowes continues his 2013 pole position streak by securing the top spot on the grid - for the fourth time in a row - after today's Qualifying 2 at Portimao. The current Championship leader set a successful lap-time of 1'44.804 using race tyres, resulting the only rider able to lap below the 1'45 bracket. Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) will start tomorrow's race from 2nd place, followed by Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda), team mate Fabien Foret and Andrea Antonelli (Team Goeleven Kawasaki). Dutchman Michael van der Mark was 6th ahead of Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda) and Luca Scassa (Intermoto Ponyexpres Kawasaki). The Irishman had an apparently innocent collision with Lowes, as both riders managed to stay upright. 11th place for returning David Salom (Intermoto Ponyexpres Kawasaki), behind Raffaele De Rosa (Team Lorini Honda) and rookie Riccardo Russo (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki). Another collision involved Mathew Scholtz (Team Suriano Racing Suzuki) and Gabor Talmacsi (Prorace Honda), while an unfortunate Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport) crashed on his own at Turn 15, eventually qualifying in 26th place. Read article
Ultra-close Tissot-Superpole goes to Sykes
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 8th June 2013, 16:45 GMTUnder the grey skies of the Autodromo International do Algarve, the eni FIM Superbike World Championship riders tackled the 6th Tissot-Superpole of the season. An incredibly close battle for the top slot on the grid saw Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) scoring his 16th career pole position - the 5th in a row in 2013 - for just a thousandth of a second on Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team). The same gap between the top-2 riders in Superpole happened only once before, as in 2009 Ben Spies snatched pole from Michel Fabrizio at Kyalami. The 1'41.360 set by the British rider means also a new Best Lap for the Portuguese track. Today's Superpole was partly influenced by the weather, as drops of rain began to fall moments before the start of Superpole 2. As per the 2013 WSBK Sporting Regulations, a final 20-minute wet session took place with all 12 riders involved. The conditions quickly improved, though, meaning the riders could fight for the top positions on the grid on dry track. Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) completes the first row of the grid for tomorrow's two races, matching his previous good performances from qualifying. 4th place Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Goldbet) finished ahead of Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) and an improving Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare), able to put up a good lap onboard his 1199 Panigale R despite his left shoulder injury. Frenchman Jules Cluzel (FIXI Cluzel) was 8th at the flag followed by the Italian trio of Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma Aprilia), Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) and Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati). The 2011 STK1000 Champion had an innocent crash at Turn 8 during the last Superpole session. RELATED: Results | Standings | Photos |Tissot-Superpole Highlights Read article
Nestorovic maintains pole in wet Q2
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 8th June 2013, 12:24 GMTAs a slight drizzle began to fall a few minutes after the start, Superstock 600 riders had to face a wet Qualifying 2, missing a chance to better their lap-times. The combined results saw no changes from yesterday as Adrian Nestorovic (MTM-MVR Racing Yamaha) will start this afternoon's 10-lap race from pole position with Franco Morbidelli (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki) and team mate Gauthier Duwelz to complete the first row. Fourth on the grid will be Bastien Chesaux (EAB Ten Kate Junior Honda), who ended up qualifying ahead Tony Covena (Nito Racing Kawasaki), Christian Gamarino (Team Goeleven Kawasaki), fellow Swiss Robin Mulhauser (MTM-MVR Racing Yamaha) and Alessandro Nocco (San Carlo Team Italia Kawasaki), the fastest rider in the second qualifying session. Read article
Rea once again on top in Q2
Source: WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS - Saturday, 8th June 2013, 10:30 GMTJonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) kept himself at the very top of the timesheets in the second qualifying session at Portimao's Autodromo do Algarve. The 26 year old British has edged out in the closing stages from first place works Aprilia rider Eugene Laverty, courtesy of a 1'42.645 lap-time. Despite the clouds covering the sky above the circuit, almost all riders were able to considerably improve their times from yesterday and five of the six brands were well represented in the top-6. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) was 3rd followed by Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team). The double winner at Donington Park suffered a technical problem with his ZX-10R 10 minutes after the start of the session, but managed to get on track later on and to finish ahead of Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki), Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia) and Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma Aprilia). Read article
