FIM Supersport World Championship

Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari

Imola, Italy

May 12, 2017

Free Practice Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Kenan SOFUOGLU, Turkey (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:51.647

2. Kyle SMITH, UK (Hon CBR600RR), 1:52.231

3. Sheridan MORAIS, South Africa (Yam YZF-R6), 1:52.384

4. PJ JACOBSEN, USA (MV Agusta F3 675), 1:52.515

5. Christian GAMARINO, Italy (Hon CBR600RR), 1:52.569

6. Hikari OKUBO, Japan (Hon CBR600RR), 1:52.635

7. Alessandro ZACCONE, Italy (MV Agusta F3 675), 1:52.690

8. Federico CARICASULO, Italy (Yam YZF-R6), 1:52.696, crash

9. Gino REA, UK (Kaw ZX-6R), 1:52.717

10. Lucas MAHIAS, France (Yam YZF-R6), 1:52.758

More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:

WorldSSP: Sofuoglu outshines rivals on first day

Action at Imola concludes with World Champion at the top of timesheets

WorldSSP champion Kenan Sofuoglu outpaced the rest of the field by a 0.456s margin on Friday at the Motul Italian Round, as the Turk set out his stall at Imola. Sofuoglu’s 1’51.647 time in FP2 was by far the best time of the day, with Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) and Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) also in the top three on the combined timesheet, courtesy of their FP1 times.

Sofuoglu, who has an excellent record at this circuit, is determined to build on the victory he achieved in the last round at Assen after missing the first two races of 2017 and then crashing out at Aragon on his comeback. He rode well on Friday and appears to be the key man to beat this weekend.

The day’s overall top five also included Kyle Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) and early championship leader Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team).

The top ten riders going straight into SP2 on Saturday also includes Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing), PJ Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Christian Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing), Hikari Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) and Alessandro Zaccone (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).

Michael Canducci (Puccetti Racing Junior Team FMI) crashed with 20 minutes remaining on the FP2 clock, shortly before an engine fault for Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) saw the red flag come out after smoke poured from his MV Agusta F3 675 and oil was left on track at turns 15 to 18. There was also another brief red flag earlier in the session following a crash by Japanese rider Hiromichi Kunikawa (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda).

Cluzel crashed at turn 6 and went into the gravel towards the end of the session and then a turn 7 crash for Caricasulo in the final minutes of the afternoon practice ended his session early, meaning neither of those two could beat their own strong FP1 times.

In the morning FP1 session, Caricasulo was top of the timesheet with a 1’52.103 best lap, ahead of Cluzel and Sofuoglu who were also in the top three. Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing) crashed in that session at turn 7 but was soon back on his bike and able to rejoin the action.

The WorldSSP grid will be back in action for FP3 on Saturday morning at 9.20am local time at Imola.

More, from a press release issued by MV Agusta:

 ALL THE MV AGUSTA’S RIDERS ENTER THE TISSOT-SUPERPOLE2 AT IMOLA 

The iconic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit – located in the heart of the town of Imola, 40km south-west of Bologna in northern Italy – plays host to the 5th round of the 2017 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Team MV Agusta Reparto Corse opened the home round in a positive way, with Leon Camier ending 7th after WorldSBK Free Practices and the WorldSSP duo Jacobsen-Zaccone closing respectively 7th and 10th (Zaccone is 1st in ESS) after their FP2 session.

WorldSBK – FP1, FP2

First free practice sessions at legendary Imola circuit took place under a very sunny and warm weather conditions. Leon Camier and his MV Agusta Reparto Corse team found a very good bike’s setting and the British rider was able to push hard from the very first moment, securing a 7th place at the end of the practice day.

WorldSSP – FP1, FP2

The WorldSSP class opening day at Imola ended up with a positive provisional 7th place for the MV Agusta Reparto Corse’s rider Patrick Jacobsen, after a challenging FP2 red-flagged session. His teammate Alessandro Zaccone took advantage of the experience on his home track to make the most from his MV Agusta F3 675 machine’s setting, ending up 10th after making some positive change at his bike’s rear setting.

Leon Camier #2 WorldSBK – It has been a good session, especially from a speed point of view. In the middle of the second session I found a very good pace but we still have a couple of things to set in order to be faster. Of course we need time on track to figure this out and hopefully we can fix this little problem tomorrow morning during the FP3.

Patrick “PJ” Jacobsen #99 WorldSSP – Today wasn’t the best day for me but it was a positive day all in all. We made some good progress with the bike and even if we are a little bit far from the podium area, I know we can do better in tomorrow’s qualifying sessions. I really want repay my team with a great race here in our home-round.

Alessandro Zaccone #61 ESS – During the last lap after the Red-Flag we made an impressive step forward. The bike has now really changed, it is more easy to ride, especially in the corners. The previous round at Assen we did a good step but today I know I have found the right feeling with my bike, and tomorrow I will try to make another step forward in order to star fighting with the top positions.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

GRT Yamaha Riders Shine in Imola Free Practice

Free practice

GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team riders Federico Caricasulo and Lucas Mahias got round five of the 2017 FIM Supersport World Championship off to a flyer at a sunny Imola today. Riding at his home race Caricasulo finished second on the combined timesheets, while his teammate and championship leader Lucas Mahias ended the day in fifth overall.

Caricasulo, still recovering from the shoulder injury he received at Aragon, was quick straight out of the blocks. The Italian dominated FP1, spending most of the session on top of the timesheets and ending in first with a 1:52.103. In FP2 he decided to focus on race setup in a practice that saw multiple red flags as riders were caught out by the hotter conditions. With just a few minutes to go in the session, the 21-year-old had a small lowside at the Tosa hairpin as he was trying to improve his time from the morning, but was unhurt. He ended the day second on the combined timesheets, 0.456s behind Kenan Sofuoglu, and is keen to get back on track tomorrow to continue the work he started today.

Mahias, who leads the championship by 20 points, immediately felt confident on his Yamaha YZF-R6. The French rider was clearly enjoying the technical Imola track and despite not pushing, ended the session in fourth with a 1:52.272. In the afternoon temperatures rose, making the track greasier, so Mahias decided to run a race simulation instead of focusing on a hot lap. This meant he did not improve his lap time from FP1, but it was still good enough for fifth on the combined timesheets and with so much work completed, he is feeling confident ahead of qualifying tomorrow.

The GRT Yamaha Official World SSP riders return to the track for Free Practice 3 tomorrow at 9:20am, with qualifying due to start at 14:00pm local time in Imola.

Federico Caricasulo

GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team

“I had a small crash right at the end of the last session, the front just folding on me, but I am happy for the day as I had a good rhythm and was fast. For tomorrow, we have to improve the bike to be faster. We will work on our electronic settings, geometry, and in some corners I need to improve.”

Lucas Mahias

GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team

“For the first day, it was not so bad! I finished fifth on the combined timesheets. This morning I didn’t really push, but I still finished in fourth, which is good. In the afternoon, the track got very hot and the lap times were not as good, so I focused on a race simulation. My lap times may not have seemed that quick, but they were very consistent, and I don’t think anyone else’s race pace was quicker. In the final minutes of the session I didn’t go back out after the red flag, as there was some oil on the track and my position was good enough. The target is the top ten and for the moment I am happy. I want to thank Yamaha and my team for all their work, because the bike is getting better race after race.”

Fillippo Conti

GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team Manager

“We are very satisfied! This morning Federico was fastest and he showed how consistent he is by ending the day in second. He is at his home race and that brings a bit of added pressure, but in a way that is good as you can see by his times. He relaxed towards the end of the session a little bit and had a very small crash, but nothing bad. Lucas had a great feeling this morning, in the afternoon he preferred to make along a run as the temperature was more or less the same as it will be for the race. He was very consistent and the lap times were very good. We have to find a little bit more feeling with the rear, as the grip dropped off very quickly. He finished in fifth despite not trying for a fast lap, as we decided it was more important to try and find a good race setup. I am very satisfied with the riders and the team, as they have all done a good job.”