World Superbike Race Lap Record: Jonathan Rea, 1:27.605, 2016

World Superbike All-Time/Pole Lap Record: Tom Sykes, 1:26.641, 2017

Motul FIM Superbike World Championship

Donington Park, England

July 6, 2019

Race One Results (wet conditions, all on Pirelli tires):

1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 23 laps, Total Race Time 38:22.405, Best Lap Time 1:39.513

2. Tom Sykes, UK (BMW S1000RR), -11.348 seconds, 1:39.455

3. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -23.071, 1:39.711

4. Loris Baz, France (Yam YZF-R1), -29.935, 1:40.363

5. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -37.641, 1:40.030

6. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR),  -46.917, 1:40.594

7. Peter Hickman, UK (BMW S1000RR), -60.135, 1:41.599

8. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), -67.062, 1:41.339

9. Alessandro Delbianco, Italy (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -70.752, ran off track twice, 1:41.009

10. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), -71.453, 1:41.214

11. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -75.161, 1:41.152

12. Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc Panigale V4 R), -84.259, 1:41.587

13. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), -86.777, 1:42.373

14. Marco Melandri, Italy (Yam YZF-R1), -1 lap, 1:42.499

15. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Duc Panigale V4 R), -13 laps, DNF, crash, 1:40.043

16. Jordi Torres, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), -14 laps, DNF, crash, 1:42.365

17. Sandro Cortese, Germany (Yam YZF-R1), -14 laps, DNF, crash, 1:42.845

18. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Duc Panigale V4 R), DNS

World Championship Point Standings (after 20 of 37 races):

1. Rea, 339 points

2. Bautista, 330

3. Van Der Mark, 196

4. Lowes, 175

5. Haslam, 169

6. Sykes, 130

7. Razgatlioglu, 124

8. Davies, 120

9. Melandri, 118

10. Cortese, 93

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

#GBRWorldSBK – Day 2: Jonathan Rea wins Race 1 and takes championship lead, as Bautista crashes again at Donington Reigning World Champion masters a wet race and returns to the top of the standings after Alvaro Bautista fell heavily

A wet Race 1 proved to be dramatic in the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, as Donington Park hosted yet another thrilling encounter. A frantic start saw Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) take the lead early on and never look back as he romped to a 76th career win to take the championship lead, as Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) crashed out in dramatic fashion. It was a blistering opening lap from Jonathan Rea, who leaped of the line and took the lead at Turn 1, opening up a lead of over a second on the first lap. Pole-sitter Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) held second place, ahead of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), with the Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha of Loris Baz in fourth. Alvaro Bautista was fifth in the early stages but losing time to Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team). As the race settled, Rea was setting a scorching pace, lapping two seconds a lap quicker than anybody else, whilst behind him, Loris Baz got his way into the podium positions and ahead of Leon Haslam at the Melbourne Loop on Lap 2. One of the bigger losers off the start was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), who was down in ninth. It was a bright start for Argentine rider, Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), who was up to eighth from 14th, one place behind replacement rider, Peter Hickman (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). On Lap 4, Bautista began to respond to Lowes, as the Spaniard pulled clear and steadied the tide. Further down the order, Alessandro Delbianco (Mie Althea Racing Team) was showing his wet weather skills once again, as he was coming through the order. However, two laps later, it was a colossal moment for the Italian at Turn 2, with both legs off one side of his Honda, taking to the soaking wet grass at high-speed, yet somehow remaining upright. Back at the front, Jonathan Rea continued to pull away from the rest, although Tom Sykes was beginning to match his former teammate’s lap times. After eight laps, Rea had a seven second lead, setting a supreme pace but needing to remain focussed, as the rain became heavier and more water was laying on the track. Whilst Sykes was second, Haslam was back in third and ahead of Loris Baz. Then, a succession of accidents as Jordi Torres crashed on wet grass on the exit of Turn 6, whilst Sandro Cortese crashed at the same corner on the same lap, with the entry of the corner being the only difference. However, then there was huge drama, as Alvaro Bautista crashed out in spectacular style at the same point of the track, suffering his first back-to-back crashes of the season. The championship pendulum had now swung to Jonathan Rea, but with more than ten laps left, he still had to remain upright. As riders ahead fell, other riders took advantage, with Leandro Mercado now elevated into sixth place, Hickman seventh and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in eighth. Behind them, Alessandro Delbianco was on the move, up inside the top ten and wanting more, as he chased after those ahead of him. Jonathan Rea took a third career victory at Donington Park, his 76th in total. Tom Sykes was back on the podium for a second round running and on a third manufacturer at Donington Park, whilst Leon Haslam was third at his home venue. Once again proving his worth in the wet weather, Loris Baz was fourth, ahead of Alex Lowes, who had a relatively quiet race. A stunning ride for ‘Tati’ Mercado saw him take his joint-best result of his career and his best result of the 2019 season. Peter Hickman took a career-best seventh as a replacement rider, whilst behind him was Michael van der Mark, Alessandro Delbianco and Chaz Davies – the Italian getting the Welshman on the penultimate lap. It was a best result of the season for Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team), who took 11th. The championship lead now changes for the first time in 2019, with Jonathan Rea leading Alvaro Bautista by nine points, with the Northern Irishman being 61 points behind at one point. This remarkable comeback promises to give thrilling battles on Sunday at Donington Park.

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

Rea Wins And Haslam Third At Home

Jonathan Rea won the first WorldSBK race of the Donington Park round on his KRT Ninja ZX-10RR and in doing so took the championship lead for the first time this season. In wet conditions Leon Haslam battled for second in the first few laps and finished a safe third.

Before Rea’s famous Race One win and Haslam’s fifth podium of 2019, the Superpole contest – held in wet then drying conditions – saw Rea just miss out on pole position. With Jonathan in second place on the starting grid Haslam started alongside him in third position, after his Superpole push saw him get onto the front row.

The Donington layout, some of which had been resurfaced, demanded the use of wet tyres in the opening 23-lap race, and delivered tricky conditions throughout.

Getting cleanly away Rea took an astonishing early lead of 2.8 seconds after one lap and 4.842 seconds after two. Haslam was trying to push past Tom Sykes in the early laps, only to be passed in turn by Loris Baz.

Haslam reasserted himself in third and then managed his position from then on, as Rea ran away out front to win by over 11 seconds from Sykes. Leon, with a clear cushion behind, was 23 seconds from Rea but a comfortable podium finisher once again.

Rea takes a nine-point championship lead into the next two races at Donington, on Sunday 7 July. There will be a ten-lap Tissot Superpole race, and then Race Two, over a full 23-laps.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “I missed my pit board on my first lap but on the second lap I saw that I had quite a big gap already. I have been riding the Kawasaki for quite a few years now, and although we do not get to ride in the wet a lot, the wet setup is pretty good. Even in the change of conditions – completely wet, half wet or a drying track – it seems to be a bike that you can extract a lot of stability out of. So you can stop it well and then use your body weight to get through the corners. I knew if I could arrive at the limit of the package quite early I could take a gamble while the rest of the other guys got up to speed. At the end of the race I thought I should keep pushing on as I knew if there was a lapse of concentration it would be very easy for something to go wrong in these conditions. So I kept going right until the last lap and got it done. But it felt like a really long race! There is still a long way to go but after the Jerez sprint race the gap from the lead to us was 61 points. Now it has flipped over. It is racing and anything can happen.”

Leon Haslam, stated: “It wasn’t the start that determined my race although I did get held up a little bit in the first two laps with Tom. As soon as I started to push like I had been doing in practice and qualifying in the rain, I did not have the same feeling. To be honest I felt like I struggled at times today. I got a little bit caught up with Baz and that let Tom get away. The lap times I could do when I got a clear lap were not so bad, but I felt like I was pushing the limit too much to get that kind of lap time. So I backed it down and got third. From quite early on in the race I was trying to just manage it and bring it home on the podium.”

Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) had his best ride of the season in sixth place, equalling his career best WorldSBK race result.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) felt a lack of grip compared to his expectations during the wet race and finished 13th of the 14 finishers today. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) had a fast fall, without injury, and no-scored today.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Solid Results for Lowes and Van Der Mark in Wet Race 1 at Donington Park

Race

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider, Alex Lowes, rode an intelligent race to fifth place in difficult conditions at Donington Park today, as rain replaced the sunshine of the opening day. Michael van der Mark achieved his goal of a top ten finish with eighth place in WorldSBK Race 1, despite starting from the sixth row of the grid.

Grey skies and a wet track greeted the WorldSBK riders as they headed out for Superpole this morning, but with the rain easing ahead of the session a dry line was quick to appear, although neither of the two Pata Yamaha riders were able to take advantage.

A crash at Goddards early in the session meant that Lowes and his crew erred on the side of caution and opted for intermediate tyres when he returned to the track for his one and only qualifying run. While his first flying lap put him second on the timesheet, Lowes was eventually demoted to eighth place as his slick shod rivals posted faster laps in the final minutes. Teammate van der Mark suffered a similar fate, missing the window to pit for fresh tyres, which left him 16th on the grid after completing the whole session on wets.

The rain returned just after midday, making for tricky track conditions for WorldSBK Race 1. Both Pata Yamaha riders took a measured approach in the early stages of the race, getting a feel for the conditions as the field was reduced by numerous crashes. Having caught and pressurised Alvaro Bautista until his crash on lap 11, Lowes then rode alone in fifth place for most of the race, lapping consistently and retaining focus all the way to the chequered flag to pick up valuable championship points.

After some brief battles early in race, including riding around the outside of Toprak Razgatlioglu at Hollywood to break into the top ten, van der Mark also found himself racing alone. The Pata Yamaha rider, who underwent surgery on a fractured right radius only ten days ago, eventually finished in eighth position to consolidate his third place in the championship standings.

It proved a difficult Race 1 for the GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK riders, Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese. The Italian struggled with a lack of rear grip throughout the 23-lap race, which he started from the third row of the grid but managed to pick up points with a 14th place finish. After a good start from 12th on the grid Cortese was challenging for the top ten when he crashed without injury at turn eight just nine laps into the race.

Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Loris Baz, was once again the first Yamaha rider home in wet conditions. The Frenchman was involved in the battle for the podium in the early stages, eventually finishing fourth and top independent rider on his R1.

Alex Lowes

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P5

“It was difficult today because I felt like I didn’t have any grip on corner entry and exit for the whole race and, for the first five laps, it felt like I didn’t have enough temperature in the tyres. Then I sort of found a bit of a rhythm and caught Alvaro, but the race had broken up by then and I was sitting fifth with a big gap in front and a big gap behind. From then it was a case of bringing it home. It’s a shame because I didn’t feel like I was really racing, but happy to take the points for a top five finish because, as we saw today, it was very easy to make a mistake in the conditions. Hopefully the sun will be shining tomorrow and we can do a bit better.”

Michael van der Mark

Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P8

“We learned a lesson in Superpole this morning but, in the end, the race turned out quite well for us. It was a wet race and, with the injury, I didn’t want to take too many risks, especially as the conditions were particularly tricky today. I got a really good start from way back on the grid and I had good speed, but it was really difficult with so much spray from the bikes in front. It took me some laps to build confidence and that allowed the leading group to get away from me, but I think that was a good thing in some ways, because the goal today was first just to complete the race and then to score points. I had a good rhythm, a few good battles and I’m happy to finish inside the top ten today, as it was way better than we expected coming into the weekend. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s races.”

Marco Melandri

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – P14

“I don’t really know what the problem was today, but in the wet the feeling was like I had no grip at all from the rear and I could not feel the connection with the track for the whole race. The bike was moving so much on the rear and there was no feeling at all. It meant the bike was impossible for me to ride today. It’s strange because normally in the wet I’m fast but now, whenever there is a lot of water on track, I get lost. We will see tomorrow, when the conditions are expected to improve.”

Sandro Cortese

GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK – DNF

“It’s a big shame because I got a great start and was fighting for a top ten position when I had a highside on entry to the corner. Luckily, I’m uninjured, but it’s always a shame not to finish a race because of a small mistake. Sorry for the team, who have some work to do now to repair my R1, but let’s hope we have better conditions for the two races tomorrow so that we can make amends with better results.”

More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad:

Pole position and a podium for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the new BMW S 1000 RR at Donington Park.

Tom Sykes secures the first pole position for the new RR in the FIM Superbike World Championship in Superpole.

He follows that with his second podium, courtesy of second place in the race.

Fourth place for Peter Hickman in Superpole and seventh in the race.

Donington Park. The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team once again had cause to celebrate at Donington Park (GBR). In Saturday’s Superpole qualifying, Tom Sykes (GBR) secured the first pole position for the new BMW S 1000 RR in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). He then finished runner-up in the afternoon’s opening race, claiming the second WorldSBK podium for the new RR. Peter Hickman (GBR), who is standing in for Markus Reiterberger (GER) at Donington Park, finished fourth in Superpole qualifying and seventh in the race. Reiterberger was forced to pull out of this weekend’s event with a severe viral infection.

Donington Park is the venue for round eight of this season’s WorldSBK. Sykes already showed on Friday that he feels comfortable on the RR at his home circuit in Great Britain, setting the fastest time of the free practice sessions. Conditions were initially damp for Saturday’s Superpole, before the track started to dry out. Sykes secured pole position with an advantage of almost a second over Jonathan Rea (GBR / Kawasaki). This was the 49th pole position for Sykes, who holds the record for the most poles in WorldSBK. Hickman, who is familiar with the BMW S 1000 RR from the British Superbike Championship (BSB) and road racing, and knows the Donington Park circuit well, qualified fourth to secure a good starting position for race one.

The Saturday race then took place in wet conditions. Sykes was passed by Rea at the start, but his second place never looked under threat throughout the entire 23-lap race. He also set the fastest lap of the race en route to the podium. Hickman lost several positions at the start, but then found a good rhythm and rode a flawless race to cross the finish line in seventh place.

Quotes after race one at Donington Park.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “It was a super Saturday at Donington Park. As early as Friday, there were signs that Tom would have a say in the battle at the front of the field. In Superpole, he gave an awesome display and the team chose a very good strategy to secure the first pole position for our new BMW S 1000 RR – and to improve his own record. In the race, he was equally impressive in taking second place. Congratulations to him on that performance. Peter also had a good Saturday. He jumped in at short notice and, even if you know the bike and the circuit, you have to earn fourth place on the grid in such a strong field. He showed his experience in the race and finished a good seventh. We have confirmed that we are moving in the right direction with our fledgling project. We are now really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “The entire team can be proud today. With Tom, we continued the good work from Misano and it was great to get the maiden pole position for the new RR. We then really would have wished to have a dry race because we felt we had the pace strong enough to be on the podium if not to win in dry conditions. We’ll see what tomorrow will bring. Tom’s confidence is getting stronger and stronger every race event we go out. So we can only expect good things to come tomorrow. Peter has never raced in these conditions with this bike so to get on and do what he did was fantastic. He uses his head very sensibly there. He took a brave decision in qualifying to go out on slicks at the very end with not many doing that and to secure fourth on the grid was fantastic. Also with P7 in the race, Peter has had a great day.”

Tom Sykes: “I am really happy. The speed has been there all weekend, certainly in dry conditions. It was just fantastic to claim pole position this morning. In the race in wet conditions, we had some limitations but it’s great to bring it home in second position. It’s still really quite incredible where we are as it is so early in the programme. Credit to the entire BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. What they are doing is outstanding. I’m really happy to now have two podiums on two consecutive weekends. It would be nice for all guys in the garage if we could keep this momentum. As I said, we had some limitations today in the wet and we will try to improve that. In dry conditions, I feel ready to race anyway, so I am really quite relaxed at the moment and enjoy my racing.”

Peter Hickman: “I’m happy enough. The race was the first time actually for me to ride the bike in fully wet conditions so it has been a little bit of an unknown for me. It was also different for me to get used to the electronics again. I’m happy that I came away with a good and solid top ten result. The start wasn’t the best; we had a little problem at the start which put us back. If we could have gone way with the front group I maybe could have gone with them a little bit. But we’ve made some improvements, we’ve got some good data and if it rains tomorrow I’m sure we can have a good race again. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s sprint race, I normally don’t do sprint races so it’s something new for me again. Obviously we will start from fourth again after today’s Superpole, which is really strong. If we get a good start and get away in that front pack, fingers crossed, we can get a strong result.”

More, from a press release issued by Moriwaki Althea Honda Racing:

Ryuichi Kiyonari finds consistent pace in the wet to finish 11th in Race 1 at Donington.

Intermittent rain affected the second day of WorldSBK action at the Donington Park circuit, meaning that both the 11am Superpole qualifying session and the 2pm Race 1 were declared wet.

After setting the sixth fastest lap time in FP3, Ryuichi Kiyonari qualified in thirteenth place on a damp track.

As the race got underway, a less than perfect start saw the Japanese rider lapping in last place at the end of lap one. Positive sensations with his bike in the wet however, as well as good track knowledge, allowed “Kiyo” to make up many places over the course of the race, the rider ultimately crossing the line in eleventh position.

Tomorrow’s Superpole Race will kick off at 11am and will be followed by Race2 at 2pm.

Ryuichi Kiyonari

11TH

“I think today was positive for us in terms of the work we were able to carry out on the bike’s setup and the information we were able to collect. Of course, it was also good to be able to make a good recovery after a poor start. The experience we gained in Superpole, the session taking place in part wet, part damp conditions, prompted us to try and make a change to the setup which proved to be a bit challenging to adapt to at the beginning of the race, but ultimately improved my feeling on the bike lap after lap. The fact that I know this track better than others on the calendar is helping me to get more reliable feedback from the bike”.

More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:

World Superbike at Donington: Álvaro Bautista crashes out and Chaz Davies finishes in tenth place in Race 1

Both Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team riders were unable to obtain the results they had hoped for today in Race 1 of the UK Round of the Superbike World Championship at the Donington circuit. After Friday’s hot summer weather, today the temperature dropped considerably and the riders – in the morning’s Superpole session but above all in Race 1 in the afternoon – encountered a wet surface and at times heavy rain which made the track particularly treacherous.

The man who paid the worst consequences was Álvaro Bautista who, after starting from sixth place on the grid, crashed at Schwantz Curve on lap 11 while in a solid fifth place. As he failed to score any points, the Spanish rider lost his lead in the championship to race winner Rea (Kawasaki) and he is now nine points down on his chief rival, with the Superpole Race and Race 2 still to come tomorrow.

Team-mate Chaz Davies, tenth on the grid, struggled with a lack of grip for the entire duration of the race. For this reason, the Welshman was unable to go any higher than tenth place, and he also has another two chances tomorrow of scoring a positive result.

Tomorrow the ten-lap Superpole Race gets underway at 12.00 CET, with Race 2 following at 15.00.

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 10th

“I just had very little grip throughout the race really. It seemed like the tyre wasn’t ready for the first five laps because I didn’t have any traction at all. It got a bit better than that but it took a few laps to get my pace then it stayed consistent throughout the rest of the race, but I wasn’t able to push anymore, because it felt like the rear was wanting to get away from me in the fast parts of the track. There were definitely slippery conditions out there today, but let’s hope tomorrow will be dry and we can come away with a better result.”

Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) – DNF

“Today was a difficult race, and in these conditions I didn’t have much grip at the rear. This morning after FP3 we made a few changes that helped me to improve the feeling in the wet, but it wasn’t enough. At the start I didn’t have a good sensation and I struggled to make the pace. As the laps went by the situation improved, and as a result I could push harder. Unfortunately, I lost the rear at Turn 6 and couldn’t do anything to prevent the crash. Obviously we didn’t expect to finish the race in this way, but tomorrow we have another chance to try and turn the weekend around and get a good result.”