eni FIM Superbike World Championship
Algarve International Circuit
Portimao, Portugal
June 7, 2015
Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan REA, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 20 laps, 34:33.783
2. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -5.416 seconds
3. Leon HASLAM, UK (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -6.689
4. Chaz DAVIES, UK (Ducati Panigale R), -10.445
5. Michael VD MARK, Netherlands (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -14.122
6. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Honda CBR1000RR SP), -14.265
7. Jordi TORRES, Spain (Aprilia RSV4 RF), -16.213
8. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -19.384
9. Leandro MERCADO, Argentina (Ducati Panigale R), -19.998
10. Matteo BAIOCCO, Italy (Ducati Panigale R), -27.332
11. Roman RAMOS, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -28.904
12. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -31.138
13. Alex LOWES, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -34.252
14. Christophe PONSSON, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -56.181
15. Nico TEROL, Spain (Ducati Panigale R), -62.679
16. Randy DE PUNIET, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -63.200
17. Niccolo CANEPA, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -63.488
18. Gabor RIZMAYER, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap
19. Imre TOTH, Hungary (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap
20. Santiago BARRAGÁN, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -12 laps, DNF, retired
21. David SALOM, Spain (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -16 laps, DNF, retired
22. Leon CAMIER, UK (MV Agusta F4), -19 laps, DNF, mechanical
World Championship Point Standings (after 14 of 26 races):
1. Rea, 330 points
2. Sykes, 206
3. Haslam, 199
4. Davies, 184
5. Torres, 131
6. Guintoli, 113
7. Baiocco, 88
8. TIE, Van Der Mark/Mercado, 85
10. Lowes, 80
11. Giugliano, 73
12. Badovini, 63
13. Terol, 54
14. Ramos, 47
15. Salom, 42
16. Camier, 40
17. Fores, 38
18. De Puniet, 22
19. Barragan, 17
20. Troy Bayliss, 15
21. Michel Fabrizio, 13
22. Sylvain Barrier, 10
23. Ponsson, 7
24. Toth, 5
25. TIE, Rizmayer/Canepa, 3
27. TIE, Larry Pegram/Jed Metcher, 2
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Rea pulls away to take fourth double of the season
Giugliano and Haslam in the top-3 as Sykes slips down to eighth place.
The conditions for this afternoon’s second WorldSBK race at Portimao’s Autodromo Internacional do Algarve were almost perfect as the earlier rain had disappeared. The full 20-lap encounter on a dry circuit was won in the end by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), who stepped atop the podium for the tenth time this season by crossing the line 5.416s ahead of his nearest rival Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team). Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) returned to podium ways by finishing third.
Rea’s double win moves him into 3rd overall in terms of most consecutive podium finishes (15). The KRT rider now sits in seventh place for the most number of race wins in the series (25).
As in the first encounter, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) initially led before being passed by team mate Jonathan Rea and Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team), the trio pulling clear of the pack as their pace at the front increased.
As the race continued Rea began to stretch a lead, leaving Sykes and Giugliano to fight for second until the former champion’s ZX-10R suffered what looked like a technical problem. The former champion would eventually finish eighth. Haslam took full advantage of the situation to take third, his first podium since Aragon race 2.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team) finished fourth to score more solid points ahead of the Pata Honda pairing, with Michael van der Mark getting the better of reigning World Superbike Champion Sylvain Guintoli on the final lap.
Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) scored 9 points with his 7th place finish ahead of Sykes, Leandro Mercado, who was in the top ten once again on his Barni Ducati and Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing Ducati).
Positions between 11th and 15th were taken by Roman Ramos (Team GO Eleven Kawasaki), Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia), Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Christophe Ponsson (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and Nico Terol (Althea Racing Ducati).
Jonathan Rea #65 – Kawasaki Racing Team
Race 1 1st – Race 2 1st
Twitter: @jonathanrea
Instagram: @jonathan_rea
Facebook: JonathanReaOfficial
“I have a great bike, a great team around me and great strategy for every weekend. My crew chief Pere and I sit down and work out a good set-up, evaluating our tyres. We learned from some mistakes in Donington that made us stronger here and I am riding well, but I have the tools to do it. So it is massive credit to all my mechanics for working so hard and KHI in Japan, who are continuing to develop. IWe know now where the limit is and we rode two good races today. The points gap is a lot after this round but I will try not change the way I am riding.”
Davide Giugliano #34 – Aruba Racing – Ducati SBK
Race 1 – 4th Race 2 – 2nd
Twitter: @davidegiugliano
Instagram: @davidegiugliano34
Facebook Page: Davide-Giugliano
“This was an important podium for me. In the I simply didn’t find the right feeling with my bike but fortunately it rained, because that way we were able to manage the situation a little better. For race two we made some changes and my team gave me a bike with which I was able to ride. The updates that my technicians have brought this weekend have helped me too and I’m really happy, especially because, after a three month break, my team has helped me to get back to a position in which I can fight for the win, which I hope will arrive soon.”
Leon Haslam #91 – Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils
Race 1 – 12th Race 2 – 3rd
Twitter: @realleonhaslam
Facebook: Leon-Haslam
“I made a bad mistake in Race 1 sliding on the wet asphalt and that worsened my ribs’ condition. In the second race I lost too much time at the beginning, missing a couple of gear changes, and losing touch with the leading group. In the middle section of the race I had a good pace and was able to move up a few places to third. When I had started catching up Giugliano I began to lose my feeling with the front. I was about a second behind but the race was over at that point. Getting onto the podium was important both for me and for the team considering how hard the guys worked this weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Both Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team riders reach today’s podium at Portimao
Portimao (Portugal), Sunday 7 June 2015 – two very satisfying Superbike races for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team in today at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal. Davide Giugliano crossed the line second in race 2, having closed race 1 fourth, while Chaz Davies reached the podium in race 1 (third), before concluding race 2 fourth.
Race 1 – Cloudy conditions and a track temperature of roughly 29°C for today’s first race. Starting from pole, Giugliano was lying fifth in the initial stages but, due to some grip issues, he dropped back a few places through the central phase of the race and positioning tenth when, on lap thirteen, it started to rain. Davies was in third behind Sykes and Rea, a position that remained unchanged until mid-race when the Welshman was caught up in a fight with Haslam. At this point the white flag was brought out and the intensity of the rain saw all of the riders enter pit-lane to make the change over to rain tyres. A very quick and efficient pit-stop for both of the Aruba Ducati men meant that they returned to the track third (Chaz) and fourth (Davide). Able to effectively manage the final laps, despite the difficult track conditions and strong winds, the riders were able to hold their positions to the line with Davies crossing the line third, followed by his teammate Giugliano, fourth.
Race 2 – The track temperature had risen to approximately 40°C for race 2. Giugliano was initially second behind Sykes but soon moved into the lead, from where the Italian had to work hard to hold off the two Kawasakis. From the mid-race point, the top three were swapping places in the fight for the win. Gritting his teeth, and despite still suffering from the flu, Giugliano was able to pass Sykes in the final stages to cross the line in second position, his best result of the season so far. Holding fourth place for the first eleven laps, Davies tried to catch the trio up ahead of him but despite his best efforts he was unable to reach them. In the second part of the race the Welshman battled briefly with Haslam, before managing to pass Sykes on lap seventeen to cross the line fourth.
This means that at this point, mid-way though the 2015 championship, Davies retains fourth position in the overall standings, with 184 points, while Giugliano moves up to eleventh with 73 points. Ducati positions second in the manufacturer’s standings with 232 points.
Quotes after the races:
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #34) – 4th, 2nd
“This was an important podium for me, especially after having finished race 1 fourth. In the first race I simply didn’t find the right feeling with my bike due to a lack of grip that seems to occur as a result of variations in the weather. Fortunately it rained, because that way we were able to manage the situation a little better, to close fourth. A shame though as I could have achieved two podiums here today. For race two we made some changes and my team gave me a bike with which I was able to ride hard and finish second. The updates that my technicians have brought this weekend have helped me too and I’m really happy, especially for the fact that, after a three month break, my team has helped me to get back to a position in which I can fight for the win, which I hope will arrive soon.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 3rd, 4th
“Similarly to Donington, I think third was the best I could have done in race 1 here. Lap times were quick at the start and I was able to keep up with Rea and Sykes up to a certain point, but was then losing something in a couple of points of the track. We made a good pit-stop and I was able to hold third to the line, so I’m pleased with the result. The race was pretty wild, with very strong winds in addition to the rain. The second race was difficult right from the start. We made some changes between the first and second race but I didn’t have the right feeling with the front tyre, and couldn’t really brake or stop my bike as I would have wanted. I think that the variation in temperature made the difference and tomorrow we will work during the tests to better understand how we can improve when temperatures rise.”
Stefano Cecconi – Team Principal –
“We return home very pleased with the results achieved this weekend. After the great qualifying session yesterday, our riders have consistently fought for the podium places. Despite the unexpected rain that affected the end of race 1, Chaz was able to maintain third place and Davide made up lost ground, also thanks to the perfect teamwork carried out during the tyre change. In race 2, despite the gusty conditions and the fact that Davide is still suffering with the flu, he was able to complete a great race, bringing home a brilliant second place finish. We also thank everyone in Ducati for the latest technical updates that have further improved the bike and contributed to achieving these results.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
WSBK – APRILIA ON THE PODIUM AT PORTIMÃO WITH LEON HASLAM
IN SUPERSTOCK 1000 LORENZO SAVADORI, FINISHING SECOND, CONFIRMS HIS LEADERSHIP AND THAT OF THE APRILIA RSV4
Portimão, 7 June 2015 – Leon Haslam finished the Portuguese weekend brilliantly riding his Aprilia RSV4 RF to third place in Race 2. Leon’s podium is the just reward for the hard work done by Aprilia Racing – Red Devils and the determination of the English rider, still struggling with rib pain from his accident at Imola.
In the first race Haslam was comfortably managing fourth place before the rains came in the fifteenth lap and forced all the riders to change tyres. Coming back out of pit lane, Leon had a bad slide in turn 5, slipping on the treacherous asphalt. He got back on the bike and finished in twelfth place.
Starting Race 2 with severe pain in his side, aggravated by the crash in Race 1, Leon struggled for the first few laps and then found a good race pace. The English rider moved steadily up into third position and he was gaining on Giugliano who was in second place when the chequered flag came out.
Leon Haslam: “I made a bad mistake in Race 1 sliding on the wet asphalt and making my ribs worse. In the second race, on the other hand, I lost too much time at the beginning, missing a couple of gear changes, and losing touch with the leading group. In the middle section of the race I had a good pace and was able to move up a few positions to third place. When I had started catching up Giugliano I began to lose my feeling with the front. I was about a second behind but the race was over at that point. Getting onto the podium was important both for me and for the team considering how hard the guys worked this weekend.”
The two Portuguese races did not bring the results Jordi Torres had hoped for, despite the leap of quality demonstrated during the practice sessions. In the first race the Spanish rookie didn’t get off to the best of starts so he was forced to make up positions. The rain toward the end of the race complicated matters: In fact, Jordi had never before ridden the RSV4 on the wet and he settled for finishing the race without taking any pointless risks.
His start in Race 2 was good, as was the way he managed the middle part of the race. Only an abrupt loss of grip kept Jordi from a fifth place finish which was well within his reach.
Jordi Torres: “This was a difficult weekend, but we made a lot of progress. The RSV4 works well here. We were able to improve even compared to yesterday with a small change we made before the races. In Race 1 I didn’t start well. I was lacking confidence at the beginning. Then I set my pace until I was in about sixth place. Unfortunately the rain ruined everything. It was my first time riding the RSV4 in the wet and I was careful not to crash and ruin everything. In Race two I got off the line more aggressively and at mid-race I had the pace to defend sixth place well. But in the final laps I had a sudden loss of grip at the rear tyre. I didn’t take any risks and I settled for bringing home some important points. Unfortunately during practice on a new track it isn’t easy to make a good assessment of performance over race distance.”
SUPERSTOCK 1000: APRILIA AND SAVADORI STILL FIRMLY IN THE LEAD IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP
With his second place finish at Portimão, Lorenzo Savadori and the Team Nuova M2 Racing Aprilia RSV4 confirmed that they are in grand form. Thanks to a shortened race, Lorenzo managed his second place finish which allows him to keep a firm grip on the championship lead just three races from the end of the season.
Kevin Calia made his nth top-10 finish, seventh under the chequered flag and now ninth in the rider standings.
The Manufacturer standings are also dominated by Aprilia who, thanks to the RSV4’s positive streak (on the podium every race since the beginning of the season), now has a 25 point advantage over BMW in second place and Ducati in third.
More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda:
Pata Honda happy with further progress in Portugal
Pata Honda riders Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark produced four solid results between them in today’s two seventh-round World Superbike championship races at Portimao in Portugal, both of which were won by Jonathan Rea.
Race one was interrupted by rain with just six laps remaining as Guintoli battled in a group for fifth place. Van der Mark, meanwhile, was recovering from an earlier electronics glitch and an off-track excursion that had left the 22-year-old Dutch rider down in 19th place.
Both riders pitted their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machines for wet tyres on lap 14 and resumed the race in strong positions with Guintoli, 32, taking fifth place at the flag and van der Mark a hard-earned ninth.
The second 20-lap race at the 4.592km Autodromo Internacional do Algarve was run in dry conditions with both Pata Honda riders enjoying good starts. Van der Mark fought his way through the field from 13th place on the grid to join his team-mate who was once more fighting for fifth place.
Van der Mark settled in behind Guintoli and both riders passed Tom Sykes and Jordi Torres towards the end of the race, with the Dutch rider taking fifth place at the flag after a last corner pass on his French team-mate.
The Pata Honda World Superbike team will remain at Portimao tomorrow for an official one-day test ahead of round eight of the championship which takes place at Misano in Italy on 19-21 June.
Sylvain Guintoli – 5th and 6th
It’s been a good couple of races for us with solid finishes, so a positive weekend really. In race one I was in a group with a lot of fighting and overtaking going on and then, when the rain came, the team did a fantastic job with the pitstop. I had three or four quite fast laps fighting with Giugliano so that was quite a good performance for us. Race two was good, too – it was a fight all the way to the flag. Near the end of the race we were closing on Sykes and Torres and I managed to gain two places by overtaking them both but then lost one place back to Mikey. Overall it was a very close race but we’ll carry on the good work trying to develop the CBR package continue to close the gap. We’ve got some more things to test tomorrow – it’ll be a long day so I hope the conditions are good.
Michael van der Mark – 9th and 5th
I was a bit held up at the beginning of race one and I was not really fast enough, but it was getting better and better. I closed the gap to the group in front of me but then I had an electrical problem and after a couple of laps I had to switch the bike off and on again to re-set it. It worked OK after that but then I made a mistake and went off the track and then it started raining! The pitstop was quite OK and the last couple of laps was just about surviving because the grip was not there, but I was happy to get some points. I had a better start in race two and then there was a gap to Sylvain which I was able to close quite fast. I had quite good pace and just stayed behind him because I wanted to take some more points. Then we both came to Tom [Sykes] and Jordi [Torres] who had some problems and we passed them at the same time. Then in the last corner I did a big overtake on Sylvain and got those extra points!
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator
Race one was quite crazy! Michael had some problems with the bike and was quite far down when the rain started to come in. Both riders came in with everyone else and the pitstops went quite well but, as I said, it was a little crazy. Sylvain settled into a good rhythm in race two while Michael had to work his way through from a bit further back. He got to Sylvain and they were together for the remainder of the race and in the last corner Mikey could pass Sylvain. In the end fifth and sixth place is not bad. I think we can be happy with that, and the gap to the front is less than it has been this season, so we’ll continue trying to make up the ground as we go to Misano.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Portuguese Double For Rea And Sykes On The Race One Podium
Jonathan Rea confidently secured his fourth double race win of the 2015 season on his Kawasaki Racing Team Ninja ZX-10R in the seventh round of the FIM Superbike World Championship at Portimao. Tom Sykes (KRT) battled through adversity to take second in a dry-and-wet first 20-lap race, but was forced to finish eighth in race two after a drop in rear tyre pressure all through the 20-laps.
In winning his 24th and 25th career WSB race victories Rea showed his versatility and the Ninja ZX-10R its adaptability after two very different races. Rea and Sykes were battling it out together in race one in dry conditions but with the arrival of a sudden heavy shower and high winds they opted to come in for wet tyres at different times. When Sykes came back out from pitlane, just behind Rea, it looked like a close fight again in the wet. A sudden electronic problem lost Sykes some revs, and therefore pace, until his machine cleared again and he secured second place, nine seconds from Rea. It was Sykes’ seventh podium of the year.
In race two, held in dry conditions, Rea took the lead at half race distance and ran away to record his second win of the day, and his tenth victory since joining Kawasaki this year.
For Sykes a promising race for a podium ended in a struggle with a deflating rear tyre, due to a damaged wheel rim, that dropped his pace significantly on the last few laps and put him in eighth place.
Despite starting off the third row of the grid after a fast crash in Superpole on Saturday, Rea maintained his remarkable record of scoring either first or second in every race this year. He has 330 championship points, only 20 from perfection.
Rea also set the fastest lap of each 20-lap race and took his championship advantage to 124 points over new second place rider Sykes, 330 to 206. Despite his issues today Sykes improved his championship position and he is now seven points ahead of third place man Leon Haslam.
There will be a one-day official test session at Portimao tomorrow and Misano hosts the next round of the championship, on Sunday 21st June.
Jonathan Rea: “I have a great bike, a great team around me and great strategy for every weekend. My crew chief Pere and I sit down and work out a good set-up, evaluating our tyres. We learned from some mistakes in Donington that made us stronger here and I am riding well, but I have the tools to do it. So it is massive credit to all my mechanics for working so hard and KHI in Japan, who are continuing to develop. In tomorrow’s test we have some new material to try. We know now where the limit is and we rode two good races today. The points gap is a lot after this round but I will try not change the way I am riding.”
Tom Sykes: “It has not been a great day for us and it was such a shame that we had a small technical issue in race one and the a flat rear tyre in race two. In race one the revs dropped for a while and then it cleared again, so I could finish second. The tyre had started to go down in pressure from the beginning of race two and it is such a shame because I think we had a good bike set-up today. I really wanted to evaluate the bike in race two so we will never truly know the real race performance. We have a test tomorrow so we will use that as a good opportunity to try a few more things. We have had a consistent weekend in many way so it was shame to have this bad luck as Jonathan was on form, and we needed to capitalise.”
David Salom (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) had a difficult raceday and was 14th in race one, and a retiree in race two. Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) missed out on a point in race one but scored strongly with 11th in the second race. In the championship standings Salom is 15th and Ramos 14th.