Max Van, the 14-year-old son of SportbikeTrackGear.com founder Brian Van, competed during the MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup event October 9-11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Here’s a video recap of his weekend.
Rispoli Crowned AFT Production Twins Champ, Robinson Runs Off in AFT SuperTwins at DAYTONA
Cose Scores Singles Win for Suzuki
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With all eyes trained on the Progressive American Flat Track Grand National Championship points leaders, Brandon Robinson (No. 44 HCRR Racing/Ben Evans Racing Indian FTR750) stepped forward and stole the show in Friday night’s Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA I at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Brandon Robinson (44). Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
AFT SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines title rivals Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) and Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) opened the Main Event from first and second on the line. As they went elbow to elbow in an attempt to gain an early advantage over one another, their melee opened the door for Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Harley-Davidson/Vance & Hines XG750R Rev X), Robinson and Robert Pearson (No. 27 Rackley Racing Indian FTR750) to rush past.
Vanderkooi enjoyed a short-lived spell out front before giving way to Robinson, who then proved utterly dominant over the race’s final nine minutes despite racing with a broken right foot.
Robinson, who accepted his winner’s trophy on crutches, said, “I’m absolutely ecstatic right now — I can’t believe this. My Roof Systems team gave me an awesome motorcycle. All my guys stuck behind me through all the injuries. They believed in me and told me to go have fun, and here we are. This is unbelievable. I couldn’t be happier; these guys deserve it, and all I wanted to do was get a win for my team.”
With Robinson long gone, Bauman and Mees frantically fought their way forward to collect as many points as possible ahead of tomorrow’s decisive race.
Reigning champ Bauman ultimately proved more successful in those efforts. He dispatched Pearson for third with a hard pass with six laps remaining, and then spent the remainder of his race chasing down Vanderkooi. That relentless pursuit paid dividends with less than a minute remaining on the clock when he worked his way through to earn second place and the 20 points that came along with it.
Despite being passed by Bauman late, Vanderkooi equaled his best ever premier-class finish in third.
Mees shook free from Davis Fisher (No. 67 BriggsAuto.com Indian FTR750) to reel in and sail past Pearson, moving into fourth position with four minutes remaining. However, Bauman and Vanderkooi were too far out in front, leaving him one spot off the box at the flag and with a considerably deeper hole to climb out of heading into Saturday’s rematch.
With just one race to go, Bauman leads Mees 294-280. That means even if Mees wins tomorrow, Bauman needs only to finish eighth or better to repeat as AFT SuperTwins Champion.
AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys
Chad Cose (No. 49 Wally Brown Racing/American Suzuki RM-Z450) finally broke through in the season’s finale weekend to claim his first victory of 2020 in a hard-fought AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys Main Event, a huge moment for his Wally Brown Racing effort, backed by factory Suzuki.
Chad Cose (49). Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
Cose twice beat Max Whale (No. 18 Coondoo Cattle Co./Australian Road Services Kawasaki KX450F) for the holeshot in the once red-flagged and restarted Main and never once gave up the position. That doesn’t mean he had it easy, however; Cose was pushed throughout with Whale and Henry Wiles (No. 17 RMR Honda/Honda Talon CRF450R) both showing him a wheel at different times, including a final-lap attempt to steal away the win on the part of Wiles.
After taking the checkered flag, Cose said, “I’m just so pumped. Last year and the year before, it was a black eye just to be on this bike, and that’s credit to my team giving me a good motorcycle. I’m just overwhelmed with emotion. It is so awesome to get my win here in DAYTONA. This is like my second home here, and I’m so happy for everybody who supports me. I know there’s been some down days for us, but as long as I have these guys on my side, we’re going to keep fighting, we’re going to keep grinding, and we’re not going to give up.”
Wiles’ runner-up result tightens the battle for second in the championship just a bit. Despite missing the previous round, he now trails Friday’s third-place finisher, Whale, by 12 points (195-183) heading into tomorrow’s season finale.
Also in the mix throughout was already crowned 2020 AFT Singles champion Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F). Daniels was fighting an uphill battle starting from Row 3 as a result of a crash in the Semi, but he still managed to join the battle for the win. He ultimately finished fourth, falling just 0.749 seconds short of extending his six-race win streak to seven.
Meanwhile, Daniels’ teammate, Mikey Rush (No. 15 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) was forced to start from the back of the pack due to an opening-lap incident that saw him go down while running third. Still, he somehow managed to slash his way up from last place to take an impressive fifth on the little bullring circuit.
As a result, Rush retains a slim mathematical shot at a second consecutive championship runner-up finish; he now trails second-ranked Whale by 25 points with tomorrow’s race left to decide the final order.
AFT Production Twins
An historic AFT Production Twins Main Event saw Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT) claim Royal Enfield’s first-ever AFT victory and season-long dominator James Rispoli (No. 43 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) crowned the class’ champion.
Johnny Lewis (10). Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
Despite his underdog status on the upstart RE effort, DAYTONA Short Track genius Lewis controlled the evening in the AFT Production Twins. He escaped to an easy win in his Semi, qualified on pole and finished things off by going wire-to-wire in the Main Event.
Lewis fought back an early challenge from Ben Lowe (No. 25 Roof Systems/Bruce Lowe Excavating Yamaha MT-07), asserted at the front himself mid-race, and then successfully held off a desperate charge from Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Roof Systems Yamaha MT-07) in the race’s waning moments to secure the win.
Afterward, Lewis said, “I was skeptical coming here riding twins on this track, but it’s actually a lot of fun. It’s a little bit more work than riding a 450, but it was a lot of fun to ride this Royal Enfield around here.
“Everybody’s support for this program has been awesome. We’ve been busting our butts all season, and it feels good to not only get to the podium, but win a race. I’m excited to continue this effort with Royal Enfield, and I’m excited to come back out tomorrow.”
James Rispoli (43). Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
Rispoli, meanwhile, sat a safe-yet-close fourth behind Lewis, Texter, and Lowe for almost the entire race. Even if Texter had beaten Lewis to the checkered flag, all he needed was a seventh to end the title fight early. Fourth was more than enough.
With tomorrow’s race still to go, Rispoli has racked up seven wins, four runner-ups, two fourths, and a fifth en route to the 2020 AFT Production Twins throne. This championship marks the first for Harley-Davidson since the introduction of the XG750R, a pivotal moment for one of the most iconic manufacturers in the history of the sport.
“I’m so fired up — thank you to my HogSpoli nation out there!” an exuberant Rispoli said. “Tonight I thought we had a shot at the win, but these guys were riding so good. To be honest, I didn’t want to throw it away. Tomorrow, we’ll come back and go for the win, and then we’ll let the celebrations begin.”
The Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA I & II will air back-to-back on NBCSN on Saturday, October 31, starting at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT. The broadcasts will include exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and the expert commentary of Progressive AFT legend Chris Carr.
Melissa Paris (13) won the Royal Enfield BUILD TRAIN RACE main event over Jillian Deschenes (31). Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
Next Up:
The final round of the 2020 Progressive American Flat Track will take place tomorrow night with the running of the Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA II. Gates will open for fans at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT with the Main Event program scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. Tickets for Progressive AFT’s final event of 2020 are available now at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3134. Live coverage of the entire weekend’s racing activities will be available on any device for less than $1 per event via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit the Official AFT Merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
More, from a press release issued by Royal Enfield North America:
Johnny Lewis wins AFT Finale at Daytona I
Victory is the first for Royal Enfield in AFT competition
MILWAUKEE, Wis — On a humid night in Daytona, Fla Johnny Lewis made history for Royal Enfield by capturing the checkered flag in the Production Twins class during the American Flat Track (AFT) Finale at Daytona I. Lewis led from start to finish on the Twins FT to give Royal Enfield its first ever win in the series. The win also marks the first racing competition win in Royal Enfield’s modern history.
The team arrived in Daytona in high spirits, and despite having issues in the first practice, Lewis showed resilience by winning his Semi, giving him grid choice. Lewis made a strong initial start to the race, fending off the rest of the field. The Main was then red flagged due to a downed rider and the grid was reset. During the second restart, Lewis rode the inside line aggressively, taking the holeshot. Lewis began to distance himself from the field and went on to take the flag to flag victory.
“My confidence was high going into this weekend, ” said Lewis, rider and Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team owner. “I left Charlotte to practice at my home track and work on the chassis setup since it’s a similar track to Daytona. Everyone has worked extremely hard to get to this point. One of my mechanics, Ben Groh, has been with me every day since August 1. I’m thrilled earn this win for the teams in India, the UK and North America. Tomorrow is another day, and it would be really satisfying to end the championship with two wins on a new bike in its developmental season.”
The Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team made its debut at the Williams Grove Half-Mile in Mechanicsburg, PA with positive results. In the following round, a valve issue prevented the team from competing in the subsequent AFT races in Atlanta, GA. The team then showed promise at the following round in Charlotte, NC but racing was canceled due to rain.
While the goal of Lewis’ program has been development of the Twins FT platform, the desire for positive results has driven the team from the onset of the program.
“Just over a year ago we decided to go flat track racing in AFT,” said Adrian Sellers, Head of Royal Enfield Customs. “The goal for our first year was to learn and work towards competitive results. We couldn’t have imagined that we would win a race, and the result at Daytona I is overwhelming. We’ve had an incredible season of development, and the team has given its all to finding the solutions that got us over the line. Whatever happens at tomorrow’s race, we’ll go into the off-season and next year fueled by the knowledge that we can win.”
Lewis will compete again Saturday evening at the AFT Finale at Daytona II in the Production Twins class and aims to score double victories to conclude the 2020 AFT season. Fans can tune into Royal Enfield’s social channels and NBC Sports Gold to follow Lewis and the Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team tomorrow. Coverage begins at 6:30 PM EST.
About Royal Enfield
The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production in the world, Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901. A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield has created the mid-size motorcycle segment in India with its unique and distinctive modern classic motorcycles. With its manufacturing base in Chennai, India, Royal Enfield has been able to grow its production rapidly against a surge in demand for its motorcycles. Royal Enfield is a leading player in the global middleweight motorcycle market.
Royal Enfield North America (RENA) is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is developing a growing network of more than 125 dealers in North America, including the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. RENA currently offers the Bullet 500, Classic 500, Himalayan and the all new 650 Twins: INT 650 and Continental GT 650 motorcycles along with a range of genuine motorcycle accessories and apparel.
The Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team is supported by Harris Performance, SENA, Spectro Oils, Beringer Brakes, Solid Performance, EVS, ODI, Just 1, Tucker, Saddlemen, S&S Cycle, Team Lawant, Qualye Construction and Goon Glass and Rubber.
For more information on Royal Enfield North America, please visit www.RoyalEnfield.com/us/en/, www.Instagram.com/RoyalEnfield_NA, www.Facebook.com/RoyalEnfieldNorthAmerica.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Estenson Racing Charges Forward at Daytona
Newly crowned Progressive American Flat Track AFT Singles champion Dallas Daniels and his Estenson Racing teammate, Mikey Rush, overcame adversity to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in the penultimate race of the 2020 season on Friday evening at the Daytona International Speedway. AFT SuperTwins contender JD Beach completed a sweep of top 10s for the team in the premier class, securing his best result of the 2020 season after racing his way forward to claim eighth at the checkered flag.
Daniels’ hopes of stretching his remarkable win streak to seven took a major hit when he was thrown over the bars and run over in a chain reaction crash early in his Semi. Undaunted, the 17-year-old bounced back to his feet and remounted his YZ450F to take the restart from the back of the pack. Daniels made up several spots to safely earn a qualifying position for the Main, but was forced to start from the third row as a result. He still managed to slot into fourth relatively early, which is where he would stay for the remainder of the race.
By contrast, Rush cruised into the Main, winning his Semi in spectacular fashion from the third row of the grid. However, he was caught up in a multi-rider incident while running third on the opening lap of the Main Event. Forced to restart from the back of the pack, Rush called upon his considerable Daytona Short Track expertise to immediately pick off several riders around the outside. With his head down, Rush clocked a fast lap more than a tenth of a second better than any of the riders who finished ahead of him, slicing all the way up to fifth before the checkered flag ended his charge.
For Beach, the day was one of constant improvement. After struggling earlier in the day with the set-up, Beach found what he was looking for in the Main. Despite starting from the fourth row, Beach made up a handful of positions on a difficult battleground to overtake the competition. He ultimately finished eighth, his best result of his four top 10s this season with one final opportunity remaining to set the bar even higher tomorrow night.
The Estenson Racing team is set to conclude the 2020 American Flat Track season with the second half of the AFT Season Finale doubleheader at the Daytona Short Track on Saturday night.
Tommy Hayden – Estenson Racing Team Manager
“Overall, I’d say the day didn’t go too bad. It definitely could have been worse. The Singles guys were kind of in the wrong place at the wrong time and got tangled up twice. They were in the back of the grid for the restarts, and at a little track like this, it’s hard to pass. Coming from the fourth row makes it really tough, so to get both guys in the top five was about all we could ask for. With a little better luck, I think Mikey could have won. So that’s a little disappointing, but we get another chance at it tomorrow.
“JD improved all day. For the Main Event, he made a big step forward and charged the entire race. It’s good to get his best finish of the year, and there were some other promising things with how the race went that have us excited for tomorrow. Hopefully, we can pick up where we left off tonight and make another step tomorrow.”
Dallas Daniels – Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“The day started off decent. It’s the first time I’ve been to this track in a few years and the first time I’ve ever been here on a 450. I got a pretty good start in the Semi but coming out of Turn 2 one person kind of lit it up and was sideways, and then one guy stopped, and then I had to slam on the brakes. I ended up stalling my bike, and it just spun around on me. I got run over and kind of messed up my foot a little bit. But, I was able to get back up and collect myself and got fifth in the Semi just to put it in the Main Event.
“In the Main, I started outside of Row 3. I got a good start after the red flag, and I think I came out of the first corner in fourth. I literally ran the whole race in fourth. Honestly, it’s a really good result for how the day went, but it’s kind of a bummer because I think we could have been in the hunt for the win if we were on the front row. But it’s all good. We salvaged a good position, and the championship is over, so I wasn’t stressing about trying to make passes or something. I was just out there having fun. We’ll give it another go tomorrow.”
Mikey Rush – Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“We started off the day struggling a little bit with set-up, but then the track came to me in the Semi. I came from the outside of the third row and figured I’d go to the top of the middle of the track up in the cushion and made that work. I passed everyone and won the Semi; that was awesome.
“In the Main, I didn’t get the greatest jump off the line and kind of shut off early to settle in on the bottom, and another guy got into me and kind of pushed me wide. Then someone crashed, and I had nowhere to go. So I had to come from the back of the pack. All in all, the team did a great job with the bike, and I’m glad to get back into the top five. We’ve got something to build off of tomorrow, and we’ve got another shot at it. Hopefully, we can get up on the podium.”
JD Beach – Estenson Racing AFT SuperTwins
“It was a good race. We definitely struggled a little bit when we started the day out. We were just kind of off with the set-up and chasing it a little bit. We’ve done a lot of laps on a short track with this bike, but the dirt was just completely different, so what we had just wasn’t working. As the night went on, we got better and better. With the Main Event, we got a little lucky with the track because they dug it up a little bit, but as the race went on, it got a groove on it. When it was dug up, we could move forward a little bit, and then as the groove got real dark, it was working really good for us. I think coming from Row 4 to eighth was good. Hopefully, tomorrow we won’t be chasing the bike all night, and we can qualify better and try to get up there even higher.”
More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:
RISPOLI CHARGES TO AFT PRODUCTION TWINS CHAMPIONSHIP ON HARLEY-DAVIDSON XG750R
Latus Motors Racing Rider Clinches Flat Track Title at Daytona Speedway
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (October 17, 2020) – Latus Motors Racing rider James “The Rocket” Rispoli clinched the 2020 American Flat Track (AFT) Production Twins championship with a fourth-place finish aboard a Harley-Davidson XG750R motorcycle at the Progressive AFT Finale at the Daytona International Speedway Short Track in Daytona Beach, Fla. With one race left in the season Rispoli has 300 points and an insurmountable lead over the rest of the AFT Production Twins field.
“I’m so fired up! Thank you to my HogSpoli Nation out there,” an exuberant said Rispoli after receiving the #1 championship number plate following the race. “Tonight I thought we had a shot at the win, but these guys were riding so good. To be honest, I didn’t want to throw it away. Tomorrow we’ll come back and go for the win, and then we’ll let the celebrations begin.”
The championship is the first for a rider competing on the Harley-Davidson XG750R, a motorcycle built for competition and powered by the liquid-cooled, fuel-injected and race-tuned Harley-Davidson® Revolution X™ V-Twin based on the production engine originally designed for the Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycle.
After finishing in second place in the first three races of the season, Rispoli won for the first time on the Indy Mile in August and has won six more races, including a mid-season string of five in a row – Springfield Mile II, Williams Grove I and II, Dallas Half Mile I and II – that powered the number 43 Harley-Davidson bike into first place in the class standings. Rispoli scored his seventh win at the Atlanta Short Track II race on Oct. 3.
The 29-year-old racer from Londonderry, N.H., began racing AMA flat track in 2008 and finished second in the GNC2 class in 2009. Rispoli then turned his attention full-time to motorcycle road racing, winning AMA SuperSport national championships in 2010 and 2011, and raced in the British Supersport series from 2014 to 2018. In 2019 Rispoli returned to AFT competition, placing sixth in AFT Production Twins with four podium finishes. For the 2020 season Rispoli joined the Latus Motors Racing team, founded by George Latus, owner of the Team Latus Motors Harley-Davidson dealership in Gladstone, Oregon. In the mid-2000s, Latus Motors garnered race wins and top-three championship finishes while serving as the title sponsor for the 2000 Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, who is now the manager of Latus Motors Racing.
“I was involved in flat track for a lot of years, and we kind of put a hold on things for a couple of years, but we saw the direction American Flat Track was going, and it’s moving forward in a very positive way,” said Latus. “We were looking to get back into it and recognized the potential of the Harley-Davidson XG750R and the Production Twins class as the perfect way to do that.”
The AFT season concludes Oct. 17 with AFT Singles, AFT Production Twins and AFT SuperTwins racing again at the Daytona International Speedway Short Track.
Commanding Rea crowned 2020 World Champion as Razgatlioglu claims Estoril victory
History maker Jonathan Rea wrapped up his sixth consecutive WorldSBK title with a stunning fightback as Toprak Razgatlioglu takes Race 1 win
The start of World Superbike Race One. Photo courtesy Dorna.
The records and the Championships keep coming for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) as he secured his sixth consecutive MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, although the wait will go on for his 100th win as Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) took a stunning victory for the Pirelli Estoril Round at the Circuito Estoril, while challenge Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) retired from the race with a technical issue.
Razgatlioglu made a good start from pole position and held first place as he converted his first career pole into his second win of the year; following on from his victory at the season-opening Australian Round. He was joined on the podium with Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) and American Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) as they fought off Rea to secure a podium place.
Rea started from the middle of the grid following a crash in the Tissot Superpole session but soon found himself inside the top ten as he gained an impressive eight laps on the opening lap, and quickly improved his position on the follow lap as he passed teammate Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) at Turn 1 to move into the podium places.
He moved into second place as he made a move on Gerloff into Turn 1 but the American rookie was able to respond a few laps later, after Davies was able to make a move on Rea to move into second place. Rea and Gerloff engaged in a sensational battle for third during the remainder of the 21-lap race; allowing Razgatlioglu and Davies to pull away at the front as they finished first and second. Gerloff moved ahead at Turn 1 on Lap 14 and started pulling away from Rea as he secured his second career podium.
Rea finished the race in fourth place as he lost ground to the riders in front of him but had a large margin over fifth-placed Leon Haslam (Team HRC), who battled hard with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC); the Spanish rider had been fifth until Lap 20 before he crashed out of the race. Lowes finished in sixth place after being unable to catch Haslam on the last lap.
2021 Ducati rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) finished in seventh place, just behind the Lowes-Haslam-Bautista battle but unable to take advantage of the trio battling each other, finishing ahead of Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in eighth and Frenchman Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in ninth.
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) completed the top ten with the British rider finishing just behind Baz, but 2.5 seconds clear of Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing) in 11th as the wildcard secured points in his second race of the season, finishing 10 seconds clear of Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
Argentinean rider Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) finished in the points as he secured a 13th place finish ahead of Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) and teammate Eric Granado; the Brazilian finishing in the points in his first WorldSBK appearance of the season. Sheridan Morais (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) finished just outside the points with 16th, with Bautista being classified in 17th place ahead of Loris Cresson (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR).
Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) did not finish the race after he crashed out in the second half of the race, with van der Mark not finishing the race after he came off his bike while battling for the podium. Redding retired from the race with a technical issue on Lap 6, effectively confirming Rea as a six-time World Champion as Redding had to win the race, while Matteo Ferrari (Barni Racing Team) did not finish the race.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54). Photo courtesy Dorna.
P1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team)
“Today I’m really happy because this morning we tried a new setup and I felt very good. For me, it was the first time qualifying in pole position. Today was a very good day and we are happy with another win and podium, but tomorrow we will see and try again for the podium.”
P2 Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
“It felt good. The start was terrible but once I got going, it was a bit chaotic early on, but I managed to pick my way through. I was kind of marking van der Mark as we were fighting it out for third in the Championship. When he went down, that took a little bit of pressure off and I was able to run my own race, to find a way through Garrett and Jonny. I kept looking at Toprak, I was sort of hoping he would a bit drop dramatically but he had great pace. He disappeared in the early laps. Very happy with that to lock up third in the Championship. That was the goal this weekend, but I didn’t think I’d get it done today. After all the stress of the last few weeks, it’s nice to get this done and go into tomorrow with a clear head.”
“I was definitely trying to be on my tiptoes around Jonny, I didn’t want to cause him any problems or anything like that! I am honestly a little frustrated with myself because in the beginning of the race I was making stupid mistakes and riding like an idiot. I’m not normally like that, I’m normally more consistent so I definitely need to work on that for tomorrow. Really happy to be on the podium again for the whole Yamaha crew and the GRT team. It’s been a really cool last few races and to be back on the podium is nice, but it’s not as nice as the first time! I’m going to have to move up some places to make it even sweeter.”
Garrett Gerloff (31) leading a group of riders into Turn One at Estoril. Photo courtesy Dorna.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Wins Sixth Straight WorldSBK Title!
Six-time Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea and his team. Photo courtesy Kawasaki.
Jonathan Rea (KRT) secured his sixth successive WorldSBK Riders’ Championship win with a fourth place in the opening 21-lap race of the final round in Estoril, after starting out 15th on the grid. Alex Lowes (KRT) took a fighting sixth place in the race after qualifying seventh in Superpole.
The latest of Jonathan Rea’s six championship wins, all as an official Kawasaki rider, came after some early dramas as he fell in Tissot Superpole qualifying and had to start from the fifth row of the grid.
Moving up to second place long before half race distance on his Ninja ZX-10RR Rea pushed hard inside the podium positions but had to settle for fourth place at the chequered flag.
On the slow down lap he celebrated his latest championship success on track with a golden crash helmet, six ‘Superbowl style’ winners’ rings and special T-shirts for him all his team, marking his remarkable sextet of straight championship victories in memorable fashion.
Rea still has one more major landmark to shoot for in 2020, as a next WorldSBK race victory would make it a magical 100 in all since he first started out in WorldSBK over a decade ago.
Lowes had a tough and determined fight against both the official Honda machines in race one, as he showed his characteristic grit and desire, finishing inside the top six at a circuit completely new to him this weekend.
One ten lap and a final 21-lap WorldSBK race remain for Jonathan and Alex at Estoril on Sunday, with each out to end what has been at times a highly unusual eight round championship campaign with a flourish.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “I have no feeling right now; I cannot even look back. It has been an incredible journey this season. I want to thank WorldSBK, Dorna, all the circuits and organisers to even get racing this year. In the middle of what everyone has experienced in 2020 sport always comes second – but we managed to race. I miss the fans here, I miss not having my family and friends here, and all my travelling support from back home in Northern Ireland; I really miss that. They cannot be here right now but it is for all of them and my Kawasaki Racing Team, for keeping pushing this season. We started behind like last year but never gave up. It has been a hell of a journey and I am so happy.”
Alex Lowes, stated: “First of all I am so happy for all the Kawasaki guys and Jonathan. For the whole of KRT, and especially for the guys on his side of the garage. It is so hard to win a world championship let alone six in a row, so big respect to them. I am proud to be part of the team and let’s hope next year we can get involved too and make it a bit harder for him. In Superpole I feel like I did not do a very good lap on the qualifying tyre. There are quite a few corners here that you are on the side of the tyre for a long time and with the Q it just upset the front a bit, which I did not expect. In the race I got a good start but I wasn’t fast enough in the first few laps. I got into a battle with the two Hondas and I felt I was faster than those guys but they kept passing me and I would get back onto them, but and then the same thing would happen again. It was a bit of a frustrating race because I could not find my own rhythm. I feel that if I could have done, I could have got away a little bit.”
Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in a strong eighth place in race one, with Sheridan Morais (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 16th and Loris Cresson (Outdo Kawasaki TPR) 18th.
Perfect 10: Quartararo snatches pole from Viñales by half a tenth
The Frenchman bounces back from an FP3 crash to take pole at MotorLand, with Viñales denied by 0.046 and Crutchlow back on the front row for the first time since Austin 2019
Saturday, 17 October 2020
Fabio Quartararo (20). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Despite an FP3 crash leaving him riding through the pain barrier, Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) managed to snatch pole position from Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) at the Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon, the Frenchman pipping the Spaniard by just 0.046 for his tenth MotoGP™ pole. Yamaha led the way on Saturday once again, but Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) took third and only two tenths off the top, with the Brit back on the front row for the first time since Austin 2019.
Q1 started with enough drama already; not a single Ducati having made it through automatically by virtue of combined practice times. So it was going to be tight, and Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were running in tandem – Dovizioso ahead –for much of the session. Petrucci took to the top first and last, with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) then ruining the Ducati Team party as the Aussie moved up to second. And that was it – Dovizioso was out, 13th on the grid and exceedingly unhappy about it.
As Q2 got underway, Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was the first to set a laptime but that was immediately beaten by Miller, a 1:47.657 coming in from the Australian to go top of the pile in the early stages. Quartararo slotted into P2 early doors before Morbidelli then snatched P2 back – and almost went top. Just 0.002 separated the number 21 from Miller, but there were plenty of red sectors lighting up the timing screens. Quartararo was one cause, shooting up to provisional pole, and following the Yamaha on track, Miller also improved. He stayed P2, but it was just a tenth splitting the pair.
Morbidelli then made it a Petronas 1-2 again, and again with less than a tenth in it, as Viñales slotted into P4 after the first set of flying laps. Crutchlow was in fifth, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) sitting on the outside of the provisional second row. But that was all going to change as the riders slotted in fresh rubber, ready for their second runs…
First up was Viñales, lapping alone, and he was 0.021 under Quartararo’s time in Sector 3. It only got better from there as he then leapfrogged his fellow Yamaha to take provisional pole by 0.171, taking over at the top. Crutchlow then crossed the line and moved up to P3 to shove Morbidelli down to head the second row, but the Italian was on a great lap and only 0.020 off in Sector 3. However, he then lost time down the back straight and despite setting a personal best time, the number 21 stayed P4. Viñales was then setting an almost identical lap time to his current P1 best, and the number 12 came across the line to go every so slightly quicker – but it was ultimately just 0.003 gained.
However, Quartararo had one more lap. The Frenchman was just through his first sector and up, and he kept it as he headed through Sector 2 0.073 faster than Viñales. Could he hold onto it? It was the latter half of the lap where Quartararo really gained time. Heading onto the almost 1km long back straight, the title chase leader was over a tenth and a half under Viñales’ best and despite losing over a tenth in the final split, the number 20 just kept it together to take pole by 0.046 seconds after yet another phenomenal final flying lap.
In terms of the front two rows, that was all she wrote so it’s a Yamaha 1-2 as Quartararo digs deep to claim Saturday honours, but Viñales has every chance of fighting for victory from second. Crutchlow makes a welcome return to the front row as the British rider finds form despite still nursing his arm injury, the LCR Honda man finishing 0.229 adrift of pole. Morbidelli was just 0.012 shy of the front row but it was a good day for the Italian and Yamaha on a circuit that hasn’t necessarily suited the YZR-M1’s characteristics in the past… ominous signs for race day?
After graduating from Q1, Miller claims a solid P5 to fly the Ducati flag in Aragon, the Australian fuming after his FP3 time – that was good enough for the top 10 – got chalked off due to Yellow Flag infringements, but amends made in the afternoon. Championship contender Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), meanwhile, will line-up in his best grid position since the Styrian GP. Suzuki’s strength doesn’t usually show on a Saturday afternoon compared to race day, so the signs are good for Mir and the Mayorcan should be one to watch on Sunday.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) set his personal best time on his final flying lap, and the Japanese rider ended up less than a tenth off Mir’s time to spearhead Petrucci and Aleix Espargaro on Row 3. The latter, younger brother Pol Espargaro and Repsol Honda Team’s Alex Marquez had a bit of an incident in Q2 as the Aprilia, Honda and KTM all ended up sandwiched together at the final corner.
Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins completes the top 10 on home turf, with Alex Marquez cementing his best MotoGP™ qualifying result in P11, and after heading through to Q2 for the first time. After the incident earlier in the session and a little damage to his KTM, Pol Espargaro had to settle for P12.
That’s it for Saturday as a dramatic MotoGP™ qualifying day draws to a close in Aragon. Medical centre to pole position for Quartararo is a heroic effort, but how will he fare in the race? Dovizioso has plenty of work to do to stay in the title race as the Italian launches from P13 – and his main competitors are all inside the top six. Another phenomenal battle awaits at MotorLand Aragon, with the premier class action coming your way at the later time of 15:00 (GMT+2).
Fabio Quartararo: “Honestly as soon as I had the crash I thought ‘can I ride in the afternoon?’. Now it’s not too bad but when I crashed I felt quite bad, I stood up and felt something wrong. But I’m so happy because it was a tough morning, yesterday I crashed and this morning again, and I always take a bit of time to be back. FP4 wasn’t so bad, and qualifying was good, my laptime is great. I could have done better because the lap wasn’t perfect but I can be happy because we’re on pole position and the goal was to be on the front row today.”
Lowes smashes MotorLand record to take tenth Moto2™ pole
The Brit heads Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio, with Marini seventh and Bastianini down in 12th
Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) means business at MotorLand Aragon, and the Brit took his tenth Moto2™ pole position at the track on Sunday with a lap record, beating Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) to the honour. Championship leader Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) starts seventh, with his closest challenger Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team VR46) in 12th – leaving Lowes and Bezzecchi with a real advantage heading into Sunday…
In Q1 it was Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jorge Martin and Tetsuta Nagashima heading through on top, joined by Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) and Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) as the four got ready to fight it out again for the top 18 positions on the grid, leaving behind a few surprises such as Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing). But the clock was reset, and it was go-time for Q2.
It was Di Giannantonio who came out the blocks fastest in the second part of qualifying. A 1:52.364 was a decent banker lap time but it was soon beaten by Championship leader Marini, with rookie Marcos Ramirez (Tennor American Racing) then taking over at the top as he sat just behind Marini on track. Fortunes then favoured Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) as the British rider became the first ever Moto2™ rider to set a sub-1:52 at MotorLand Aragon, although the stunning lap was soon bettered by Diggia as the Italian took back to the top.
Out of nowhere, Bezzecchi then produced a sterling final sector to take provisional pole, making it an Italian 1-2 at the summit and Lowes lurking down in P10 with just three minutes to go. The number 22 was soon #OnIt though and at the third checkpoint, the Brit was a whopping four tenths quicker than Bezzecchi. Surely pole position was his with just the back straight and final two corners to navigate? Lowes flew across the line to do exactly that, but he did lose three tenths in the last split. Not that it matters though, the number 22 snatching P1 by 0.148.
No one else could challenge in the closing stages so Lowes will start from his first pole position since the 2016 Aragon GP – a race he went on to win. Bezzecchi will also be looking to close down the points gap from second, with Diggia completing the front row – his first since the 2019 San Marino GP. Dixon’s 1:51.999 was a firecracker of a time and yet, he’s not on the front row. Nevertheless, it’s a Moto2™ best qualifying for the sophomore who continues to show fine form. Lining up next to Dixon in P5 is another rider who claimed a career-best Moto2™ qualifying result – Ramirez. The Spaniard has been on form all weekend and will be hoping – at least – a top 10 challenge is on the cards.
Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) was also under the former lap record, but has to settle for P6. Spearheading Row 3 is Marini who gets bumped back after Lowes’ late lap, far from a disaster for the Italian but it looks like he has plenty of work on his hands to try and stop Lowes or Bezzecchi closing his Championship gap further. Q1 graduate Jorge Martin salvages a P8 starting slot after finishing Free Practice in P19, the Spaniard ahead of compatriot Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Remy Gardner (Onexox TKKR SAG Team) as the duo round out the top 10. Enea Bastiaini (Italtrans Racing Team) – the man second in the Championship – starts from his second-worst qualifying place of the season in P12, just behind 11th place Joe Roberts (Tennor American Racing).
Lowes is riding the crest of a wave on a circuit he loves. Will it be a second consecutive victory of the season, or can Bezzecchi beat his title rival? Di Giannantonio will be confident of a victory challenge too and whichever way you look at it, the Moto2™ Aragon GP looks set to be a barnstormer. Tune in to watch it at 13:20 (GMT+2)!
Moto2™ front row
1 Sam Lowes – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Kalex 1:51.651
2 Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex +0.148
3 Fabio Di Giannantonio – MB Conveyors Speed Up – Speed Up +0.219
Sam Lowes: “This morning, well.. when you crash but you understand the mistake or the problem it’s ok, and we understand what happened this morning and it was probably good for me to show me where the limit was! I’m happy and I’ve got really good pace, and on used tyres as well I feel fast, so I feel good. It’s nice to come from winning last weekend to back it up with a pole position, it’s confidence building for me and thanks to the team, the bike has worked great since FP1. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. When everything’s going in a good way it’s a nice feeling so we need to make the most of it.”
Fernandez pips Vietti for fourth pole of the season
The Spaniard takes it by just 0.059, with Arenas completing an all-KTM front row
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) backed up going fastest on Friday by taking a fourth pole position of the season at MotorLand Aragon, the Spaniard coming out on top in a duel with Le Mans winner Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) by just 0.059. The two were in a class of their own on Saturday, with Championship leader Albert Arenas (Solunion Aspar Team Moto3) taking third to complete an all-KTM front row but over half a second back.
In Q1 there were a few key names looking to move through, including John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) as the two had laps cancelled late on in FP3 after Yellow Flags invalidated them- The two moved through behind Carlos Tatay (Reale Avintia Moto3) at the top of the session and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) in second, with the clock was then reset and the four joining the rest fighting it out for the top 18 places on the grid.
CIP – Green Power’s Darryn Binder was the first man to top the timesheets early on in Q2, before John McPhee hit back to take over and immediately depose the South African. And then came Fernandez: the Spaniard hit the top soon after, then later going even faster to bang in a 1:57.681.
Only 11 riders had set a lap mid-session, however, so would the tables turn? With a couple of minutes left, Vietti managed to leapfrog the two Sterilgarda Max Racing Team riders, Alonso Lopez and Romano Fenati, who had been in P2 and P3 respectively, to become the closest challenger to Fernanez’ impressive lap. Vietti was now within a couple of tenths and on another solid lap, and in even better news for the VR46 Academy rider, he was setting his laps on his own too… something that most definitely bodes well for race day.
It all came down to the final push for the number 13, and he got even closer as he stayed in touch with Fernandez’ time throughout the lap. Could he do it? Ultimately no, but it was incredibly close as the Italian crossed the line just 0.059 off Fernandez, with no one else able to challenge the number 25.
Arenas moved up on his final lap to take the final place on the front row, with Alonso Lopez shuffled down to fourth but nevertheless putting in an impressive session as he keeps his recent pace rolling. The number 21 will, however, have to take a Long Lap Penalty in the race that he was given following his collision with teammate Fenati last time out. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) denied that same Fenati fifth on the grid as the Japanese rider pipped the Italian by just 0.004, pushing the number 55 down to P6.
Tatay went from Q1 to seventh, joined on the third row by Championship challenger Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) and another Q1 graduate: Rodrigo. McPhee completes the top ten, missing out to Rodrigo by just 0.001 but beating Darryn Binder by 0.012 as the South African starts just outside the top ten.
That’s it from an exciting Saturday at Aragon, with the stage set for another good battle on Sunday. Can the likes of Fernandez and Vietti escape? Or will we see another classic freight train battle? Find out at the later time of 12:00 (GMT +2) as the lights go out for Moto3™!
Moto3™ front row
1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM 1:57.681
2 Celestino Vietti – Sky Racing Team VR46 – KTM +0.059
3 Albert Arenas – Solunion Aspar Team Moto3 – KTM – +0.510
Raul Fernandez: “Yesterday it was an incredible feeling, and this morning with the cold temperatures we had some more problems with the tyres but we knew that in qualifying with the temperature then it would be better and we would be stronger. We didn’t think too much about the morning in qualifying, but it was chaos – Moto3 qualifying is always chaos – but I could get an incredible time and alone, a bit of slipstream in the back straight but we’re ready for the race. We need to prepare the last part of the race better… and to enjoy it more!
Max Van and his SportbikeTrackGear.com Kawasaki Ninja 400. Photo courtesy SportbikeTrackTime.com.
Max Van, the 14-year-old son of SportbikeTrackGear.com founder Brian Van, competed during the MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup event October 9-11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Here’s a video recap of his weekend.
Chad Cose (49) leads the start of the AFT Singles Main Event at Daytona Short Track I. Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
Rispoli Crowned AFT Production Twins Champ, Robinson Runs Off in AFT SuperTwins at DAYTONA
Cose Scores Singles Win for Suzuki
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With all eyes trained on the Progressive American Flat Track Grand National Championship points leaders, Brandon Robinson (No. 44 HCRR Racing/Ben Evans Racing Indian FTR750) stepped forward and stole the show in Friday night’s Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA I at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Brandon Robinson (44). Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
AFT SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines title rivals Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) and Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) opened the Main Event from first and second on the line. As they went elbow to elbow in an attempt to gain an early advantage over one another, their melee opened the door for Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Harley-Davidson/Vance & Hines XG750R Rev X), Robinson and Robert Pearson (No. 27 Rackley Racing Indian FTR750) to rush past.
Vanderkooi enjoyed a short-lived spell out front before giving way to Robinson, who then proved utterly dominant over the race’s final nine minutes despite racing with a broken right foot.
Robinson, who accepted his winner’s trophy on crutches, said, “I’m absolutely ecstatic right now — I can’t believe this. My Roof Systems team gave me an awesome motorcycle. All my guys stuck behind me through all the injuries. They believed in me and told me to go have fun, and here we are. This is unbelievable. I couldn’t be happier; these guys deserve it, and all I wanted to do was get a win for my team.”
With Robinson long gone, Bauman and Mees frantically fought their way forward to collect as many points as possible ahead of tomorrow’s decisive race.
Reigning champ Bauman ultimately proved more successful in those efforts. He dispatched Pearson for third with a hard pass with six laps remaining, and then spent the remainder of his race chasing down Vanderkooi. That relentless pursuit paid dividends with less than a minute remaining on the clock when he worked his way through to earn second place and the 20 points that came along with it.
Despite being passed by Bauman late, Vanderkooi equaled his best ever premier-class finish in third.
Mees shook free from Davis Fisher (No. 67 BriggsAuto.com Indian FTR750) to reel in and sail past Pearson, moving into fourth position with four minutes remaining. However, Bauman and Vanderkooi were too far out in front, leaving him one spot off the box at the flag and with a considerably deeper hole to climb out of heading into Saturday’s rematch.
With just one race to go, Bauman leads Mees 294-280. That means even if Mees wins tomorrow, Bauman needs only to finish eighth or better to repeat as AFT SuperTwins Champion.
AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys
Chad Cose (No. 49 Wally Brown Racing/American Suzuki RM-Z450) finally broke through in the season’s finale weekend to claim his first victory of 2020 in a hard-fought AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys Main Event, a huge moment for his Wally Brown Racing effort, backed by factory Suzuki.
Chad Cose (49). Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
Cose twice beat Max Whale (No. 18 Coondoo Cattle Co./Australian Road Services Kawasaki KX450F) for the holeshot in the once red-flagged and restarted Main and never once gave up the position. That doesn’t mean he had it easy, however; Cose was pushed throughout with Whale and Henry Wiles (No. 17 RMR Honda/Honda Talon CRF450R) both showing him a wheel at different times, including a final-lap attempt to steal away the win on the part of Wiles.
After taking the checkered flag, Cose said, “I’m just so pumped. Last year and the year before, it was a black eye just to be on this bike, and that’s credit to my team giving me a good motorcycle. I’m just overwhelmed with emotion. It is so awesome to get my win here in DAYTONA. This is like my second home here, and I’m so happy for everybody who supports me. I know there’s been some down days for us, but as long as I have these guys on my side, we’re going to keep fighting, we’re going to keep grinding, and we’re not going to give up.”
Wiles’ runner-up result tightens the battle for second in the championship just a bit. Despite missing the previous round, he now trails Friday’s third-place finisher, Whale, by 12 points (195-183) heading into tomorrow’s season finale.
Also in the mix throughout was already crowned 2020 AFT Singles champion Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F). Daniels was fighting an uphill battle starting from Row 3 as a result of a crash in the Semi, but he still managed to join the battle for the win. He ultimately finished fourth, falling just 0.749 seconds short of extending his six-race win streak to seven.
Meanwhile, Daniels’ teammate, Mikey Rush (No. 15 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) was forced to start from the back of the pack due to an opening-lap incident that saw him go down while running third. Still, he somehow managed to slash his way up from last place to take an impressive fifth on the little bullring circuit.
As a result, Rush retains a slim mathematical shot at a second consecutive championship runner-up finish; he now trails second-ranked Whale by 25 points with tomorrow’s race left to decide the final order.
AFT Production Twins
An historic AFT Production Twins Main Event saw Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield Twins FT) claim Royal Enfield’s first-ever AFT victory and season-long dominator James Rispoli (No. 43 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) crowned the class’ champion.
Johnny Lewis (10). Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
Despite his underdog status on the upstart RE effort, DAYTONA Short Track genius Lewis controlled the evening in the AFT Production Twins. He escaped to an easy win in his Semi, qualified on pole and finished things off by going wire-to-wire in the Main Event.
Lewis fought back an early challenge from Ben Lowe (No. 25 Roof Systems/Bruce Lowe Excavating Yamaha MT-07), asserted at the front himself mid-race, and then successfully held off a desperate charge from Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Roof Systems Yamaha MT-07) in the race’s waning moments to secure the win.
Afterward, Lewis said, “I was skeptical coming here riding twins on this track, but it’s actually a lot of fun. It’s a little bit more work than riding a 450, but it was a lot of fun to ride this Royal Enfield around here.
“Everybody’s support for this program has been awesome. We’ve been busting our butts all season, and it feels good to not only get to the podium, but win a race. I’m excited to continue this effort with Royal Enfield, and I’m excited to come back out tomorrow.”
James Rispoli (43). Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
Rispoli, meanwhile, sat a safe-yet-close fourth behind Lewis, Texter, and Lowe for almost the entire race. Even if Texter had beaten Lewis to the checkered flag, all he needed was a seventh to end the title fight early. Fourth was more than enough.
With tomorrow’s race still to go, Rispoli has racked up seven wins, four runner-ups, two fourths, and a fifth en route to the 2020 AFT Production Twins throne. This championship marks the first for Harley-Davidson since the introduction of the XG750R, a pivotal moment for one of the most iconic manufacturers in the history of the sport.
“I’m so fired up — thank you to my HogSpoli nation out there!” an exuberant Rispoli said. “Tonight I thought we had a shot at the win, but these guys were riding so good. To be honest, I didn’t want to throw it away. Tomorrow, we’ll come back and go for the win, and then we’ll let the celebrations begin.”
The Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA I & II will air back-to-back on NBCSN on Saturday, October 31, starting at 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT. The broadcasts will include exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and the expert commentary of Progressive AFT legend Chris Carr.
Melissa Paris (13) won the Royal Enfield BUILD TRAIN RACE main event over Jillian Deschenes (31). Photo by Scott Hunter, courtesy AFT.
Next Up:
The final round of the 2020 Progressive American Flat Track will take place tomorrow night with the running of the Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA II. Gates will open for fans at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT with the Main Event program scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. Tickets for Progressive AFT’s final event of 2020 are available now at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3134. Live coverage of the entire weekend’s racing activities will be available on any device for less than $1 per event via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit the Official AFT Merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
More, from a press release issued by Royal Enfield North America:
Johnny Lewis wins AFT Finale at Daytona I
Victory is the first for Royal Enfield in AFT competition
MILWAUKEE, Wis — On a humid night in Daytona, Fla Johnny Lewis made history for Royal Enfield by capturing the checkered flag in the Production Twins class during the American Flat Track (AFT) Finale at Daytona I. Lewis led from start to finish on the Twins FT to give Royal Enfield its first ever win in the series. The win also marks the first racing competition win in Royal Enfield’s modern history.
The team arrived in Daytona in high spirits, and despite having issues in the first practice, Lewis showed resilience by winning his Semi, giving him grid choice. Lewis made a strong initial start to the race, fending off the rest of the field. The Main was then red flagged due to a downed rider and the grid was reset. During the second restart, Lewis rode the inside line aggressively, taking the holeshot. Lewis began to distance himself from the field and went on to take the flag to flag victory.
“My confidence was high going into this weekend, ” said Lewis, rider and Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team owner. “I left Charlotte to practice at my home track and work on the chassis setup since it’s a similar track to Daytona. Everyone has worked extremely hard to get to this point. One of my mechanics, Ben Groh, has been with me every day since August 1. I’m thrilled earn this win for the teams in India, the UK and North America. Tomorrow is another day, and it would be really satisfying to end the championship with two wins on a new bike in its developmental season.”
The Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team made its debut at the Williams Grove Half-Mile in Mechanicsburg, PA with positive results. In the following round, a valve issue prevented the team from competing in the subsequent AFT races in Atlanta, GA. The team then showed promise at the following round in Charlotte, NC but racing was canceled due to rain.
While the goal of Lewis’ program has been development of the Twins FT platform, the desire for positive results has driven the team from the onset of the program.
“Just over a year ago we decided to go flat track racing in AFT,” said Adrian Sellers, Head of Royal Enfield Customs. “The goal for our first year was to learn and work towards competitive results. We couldn’t have imagined that we would win a race, and the result at Daytona I is overwhelming. We’ve had an incredible season of development, and the team has given its all to finding the solutions that got us over the line. Whatever happens at tomorrow’s race, we’ll go into the off-season and next year fueled by the knowledge that we can win.”
Lewis will compete again Saturday evening at the AFT Finale at Daytona II in the Production Twins class and aims to score double victories to conclude the 2020 AFT season. Fans can tune into Royal Enfield’s social channels and NBC Sports Gold to follow Lewis and the Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team tomorrow. Coverage begins at 6:30 PM EST.
About Royal Enfield
The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production in the world, Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901. A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield has created the mid-size motorcycle segment in India with its unique and distinctive modern classic motorcycles. With its manufacturing base in Chennai, India, Royal Enfield has been able to grow its production rapidly against a surge in demand for its motorcycles. Royal Enfield is a leading player in the global middleweight motorcycle market.
Royal Enfield North America (RENA) is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is developing a growing network of more than 125 dealers in North America, including the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. RENA currently offers the Bullet 500, Classic 500, Himalayan and the all new 650 Twins: INT 650 and Continental GT 650 motorcycles along with a range of genuine motorcycle accessories and apparel.
The Moto Anatomy x Royal Enfield team is supported by Harris Performance, SENA, Spectro Oils, Beringer Brakes, Solid Performance, EVS, ODI, Just 1, Tucker, Saddlemen, S&S Cycle, Team Lawant, Qualye Construction and Goon Glass and Rubber.
For more information on Royal Enfield North America, please visit www.RoyalEnfield.com/us/en/, www.Instagram.com/RoyalEnfield_NA, www.Facebook.com/RoyalEnfieldNorthAmerica.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Estenson Racing Charges Forward at Daytona
Newly crowned Progressive American Flat Track AFT Singles champion Dallas Daniels and his Estenson Racing teammate, Mikey Rush, overcame adversity to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in the penultimate race of the 2020 season on Friday evening at the Daytona International Speedway. AFT SuperTwins contender JD Beach completed a sweep of top 10s for the team in the premier class, securing his best result of the 2020 season after racing his way forward to claim eighth at the checkered flag.
Daniels’ hopes of stretching his remarkable win streak to seven took a major hit when he was thrown over the bars and run over in a chain reaction crash early in his Semi. Undaunted, the 17-year-old bounced back to his feet and remounted his YZ450F to take the restart from the back of the pack. Daniels made up several spots to safely earn a qualifying position for the Main, but was forced to start from the third row as a result. He still managed to slot into fourth relatively early, which is where he would stay for the remainder of the race.
By contrast, Rush cruised into the Main, winning his Semi in spectacular fashion from the third row of the grid. However, he was caught up in a multi-rider incident while running third on the opening lap of the Main Event. Forced to restart from the back of the pack, Rush called upon his considerable Daytona Short Track expertise to immediately pick off several riders around the outside. With his head down, Rush clocked a fast lap more than a tenth of a second better than any of the riders who finished ahead of him, slicing all the way up to fifth before the checkered flag ended his charge.
For Beach, the day was one of constant improvement. After struggling earlier in the day with the set-up, Beach found what he was looking for in the Main. Despite starting from the fourth row, Beach made up a handful of positions on a difficult battleground to overtake the competition. He ultimately finished eighth, his best result of his four top 10s this season with one final opportunity remaining to set the bar even higher tomorrow night.
The Estenson Racing team is set to conclude the 2020 American Flat Track season with the second half of the AFT Season Finale doubleheader at the Daytona Short Track on Saturday night.
Tommy Hayden – Estenson Racing Team Manager
“Overall, I’d say the day didn’t go too bad. It definitely could have been worse. The Singles guys were kind of in the wrong place at the wrong time and got tangled up twice. They were in the back of the grid for the restarts, and at a little track like this, it’s hard to pass. Coming from the fourth row makes it really tough, so to get both guys in the top five was about all we could ask for. With a little better luck, I think Mikey could have won. So that’s a little disappointing, but we get another chance at it tomorrow.
“JD improved all day. For the Main Event, he made a big step forward and charged the entire race. It’s good to get his best finish of the year, and there were some other promising things with how the race went that have us excited for tomorrow. Hopefully, we can pick up where we left off tonight and make another step tomorrow.”
Dallas Daniels – Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“The day started off decent. It’s the first time I’ve been to this track in a few years and the first time I’ve ever been here on a 450. I got a pretty good start in the Semi but coming out of Turn 2 one person kind of lit it up and was sideways, and then one guy stopped, and then I had to slam on the brakes. I ended up stalling my bike, and it just spun around on me. I got run over and kind of messed up my foot a little bit. But, I was able to get back up and collect myself and got fifth in the Semi just to put it in the Main Event.
“In the Main, I started outside of Row 3. I got a good start after the red flag, and I think I came out of the first corner in fourth. I literally ran the whole race in fourth. Honestly, it’s a really good result for how the day went, but it’s kind of a bummer because I think we could have been in the hunt for the win if we were on the front row. But it’s all good. We salvaged a good position, and the championship is over, so I wasn’t stressing about trying to make passes or something. I was just out there having fun. We’ll give it another go tomorrow.”
Mikey Rush – Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“We started off the day struggling a little bit with set-up, but then the track came to me in the Semi. I came from the outside of the third row and figured I’d go to the top of the middle of the track up in the cushion and made that work. I passed everyone and won the Semi; that was awesome.
“In the Main, I didn’t get the greatest jump off the line and kind of shut off early to settle in on the bottom, and another guy got into me and kind of pushed me wide. Then someone crashed, and I had nowhere to go. So I had to come from the back of the pack. All in all, the team did a great job with the bike, and I’m glad to get back into the top five. We’ve got something to build off of tomorrow, and we’ve got another shot at it. Hopefully, we can get up on the podium.”
JD Beach – Estenson Racing AFT SuperTwins
“It was a good race. We definitely struggled a little bit when we started the day out. We were just kind of off with the set-up and chasing it a little bit. We’ve done a lot of laps on a short track with this bike, but the dirt was just completely different, so what we had just wasn’t working. As the night went on, we got better and better. With the Main Event, we got a little lucky with the track because they dug it up a little bit, but as the race went on, it got a groove on it. When it was dug up, we could move forward a little bit, and then as the groove got real dark, it was working really good for us. I think coming from Row 4 to eighth was good. Hopefully, tomorrow we won’t be chasing the bike all night, and we can qualify better and try to get up there even higher.”
More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:
RISPOLI CHARGES TO AFT PRODUCTION TWINS CHAMPIONSHIP ON HARLEY-DAVIDSON XG750R
Latus Motors Racing Rider Clinches Flat Track Title at Daytona Speedway
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (October 17, 2020) – Latus Motors Racing rider James “The Rocket” Rispoli clinched the 2020 American Flat Track (AFT) Production Twins championship with a fourth-place finish aboard a Harley-Davidson XG750R motorcycle at the Progressive AFT Finale at the Daytona International Speedway Short Track in Daytona Beach, Fla. With one race left in the season Rispoli has 300 points and an insurmountable lead over the rest of the AFT Production Twins field.
“I’m so fired up! Thank you to my HogSpoli Nation out there,” an exuberant said Rispoli after receiving the #1 championship number plate following the race. “Tonight I thought we had a shot at the win, but these guys were riding so good. To be honest, I didn’t want to throw it away. Tomorrow we’ll come back and go for the win, and then we’ll let the celebrations begin.”
The championship is the first for a rider competing on the Harley-Davidson XG750R, a motorcycle built for competition and powered by the liquid-cooled, fuel-injected and race-tuned Harley-Davidson® Revolution X™ V-Twin based on the production engine originally designed for the Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycle.
After finishing in second place in the first three races of the season, Rispoli won for the first time on the Indy Mile in August and has won six more races, including a mid-season string of five in a row – Springfield Mile II, Williams Grove I and II, Dallas Half Mile I and II – that powered the number 43 Harley-Davidson bike into first place in the class standings. Rispoli scored his seventh win at the Atlanta Short Track II race on Oct. 3.
The 29-year-old racer from Londonderry, N.H., began racing AMA flat track in 2008 and finished second in the GNC2 class in 2009. Rispoli then turned his attention full-time to motorcycle road racing, winning AMA SuperSport national championships in 2010 and 2011, and raced in the British Supersport series from 2014 to 2018. In 2019 Rispoli returned to AFT competition, placing sixth in AFT Production Twins with four podium finishes. For the 2020 season Rispoli joined the Latus Motors Racing team, founded by George Latus, owner of the Team Latus Motors Harley-Davidson dealership in Gladstone, Oregon. In the mid-2000s, Latus Motors garnered race wins and top-three championship finishes while serving as the title sponsor for the 2000 Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, who is now the manager of Latus Motors Racing.
“I was involved in flat track for a lot of years, and we kind of put a hold on things for a couple of years, but we saw the direction American Flat Track was going, and it’s moving forward in a very positive way,” said Latus. “We were looking to get back into it and recognized the potential of the Harley-Davidson XG750R and the Production Twins class as the perfect way to do that.”
The AFT season concludes Oct. 17 with AFT Singles, AFT Production Twins and AFT SuperTwins racing again at the Daytona International Speedway Short Track.
Commanding Rea crowned 2020 World Champion as Razgatlioglu claims Estoril victory
History maker Jonathan Rea wrapped up his sixth consecutive WorldSBK title with a stunning fightback as Toprak Razgatlioglu takes Race 1 win
The start of World Superbike Race One. Photo courtesy Dorna.
The records and the Championships keep coming for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) as he secured his sixth consecutive MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, although the wait will go on for his 100th win as Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) took a stunning victory for the Pirelli Estoril Round at the Circuito Estoril, while challenge Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) retired from the race with a technical issue.
Razgatlioglu made a good start from pole position and held first place as he converted his first career pole into his second win of the year; following on from his victory at the season-opening Australian Round. He was joined on the podium with Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) and American Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) as they fought off Rea to secure a podium place.
Rea started from the middle of the grid following a crash in the Tissot Superpole session but soon found himself inside the top ten as he gained an impressive eight laps on the opening lap, and quickly improved his position on the follow lap as he passed teammate Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team) at Turn 1 to move into the podium places.
He moved into second place as he made a move on Gerloff into Turn 1 but the American rookie was able to respond a few laps later, after Davies was able to make a move on Rea to move into second place. Rea and Gerloff engaged in a sensational battle for third during the remainder of the 21-lap race; allowing Razgatlioglu and Davies to pull away at the front as they finished first and second. Gerloff moved ahead at Turn 1 on Lap 14 and started pulling away from Rea as he secured his second career podium.
Rea finished the race in fourth place as he lost ground to the riders in front of him but had a large margin over fifth-placed Leon Haslam (Team HRC), who battled hard with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC); the Spanish rider had been fifth until Lap 20 before he crashed out of the race. Lowes finished in sixth place after being unable to catch Haslam on the last lap.
2021 Ducati rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) finished in seventh place, just behind the Lowes-Haslam-Bautista battle but unable to take advantage of the trio battling each other, finishing ahead of Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in eighth and Frenchman Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in ninth.
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) completed the top ten with the British rider finishing just behind Baz, but 2.5 seconds clear of Jonas Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing) in 11th as the wildcard secured points in his second race of the season, finishing 10 seconds clear of Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
Argentinean rider Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) finished in the points as he secured a 13th place finish ahead of Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing HONDA Team) and teammate Eric Granado; the Brazilian finishing in the points in his first WorldSBK appearance of the season. Sheridan Morais (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) finished just outside the points with 16th, with Bautista being classified in 17th place ahead of Loris Cresson (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR).
Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) did not finish the race after he crashed out in the second half of the race, with van der Mark not finishing the race after he came off his bike while battling for the podium. Redding retired from the race with a technical issue on Lap 6, effectively confirming Rea as a six-time World Champion as Redding had to win the race, while Matteo Ferrari (Barni Racing Team) did not finish the race.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54). Photo courtesy Dorna.
P1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team)
“Today I’m really happy because this morning we tried a new setup and I felt very good. For me, it was the first time qualifying in pole position. Today was a very good day and we are happy with another win and podium, but tomorrow we will see and try again for the podium.”
P2 Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
“It felt good. The start was terrible but once I got going, it was a bit chaotic early on, but I managed to pick my way through. I was kind of marking van der Mark as we were fighting it out for third in the Championship. When he went down, that took a little bit of pressure off and I was able to run my own race, to find a way through Garrett and Jonny. I kept looking at Toprak, I was sort of hoping he would a bit drop dramatically but he had great pace. He disappeared in the early laps. Very happy with that to lock up third in the Championship. That was the goal this weekend, but I didn’t think I’d get it done today. After all the stress of the last few weeks, it’s nice to get this done and go into tomorrow with a clear head.”
“I was definitely trying to be on my tiptoes around Jonny, I didn’t want to cause him any problems or anything like that! I am honestly a little frustrated with myself because in the beginning of the race I was making stupid mistakes and riding like an idiot. I’m not normally like that, I’m normally more consistent so I definitely need to work on that for tomorrow. Really happy to be on the podium again for the whole Yamaha crew and the GRT team. It’s been a really cool last few races and to be back on the podium is nice, but it’s not as nice as the first time! I’m going to have to move up some places to make it even sweeter.”
Garrett Gerloff (31) leading a group of riders into Turn One at Estoril. Photo courtesy Dorna.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Wins Sixth Straight WorldSBK Title!
Six-time Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea and his team. Photo courtesy Kawasaki.
Jonathan Rea (KRT) secured his sixth successive WorldSBK Riders’ Championship win with a fourth place in the opening 21-lap race of the final round in Estoril, after starting out 15th on the grid. Alex Lowes (KRT) took a fighting sixth place in the race after qualifying seventh in Superpole.
The latest of Jonathan Rea’s six championship wins, all as an official Kawasaki rider, came after some early dramas as he fell in Tissot Superpole qualifying and had to start from the fifth row of the grid.
Moving up to second place long before half race distance on his Ninja ZX-10RR Rea pushed hard inside the podium positions but had to settle for fourth place at the chequered flag.
On the slow down lap he celebrated his latest championship success on track with a golden crash helmet, six ‘Superbowl style’ winners’ rings and special T-shirts for him all his team, marking his remarkable sextet of straight championship victories in memorable fashion.
Rea still has one more major landmark to shoot for in 2020, as a next WorldSBK race victory would make it a magical 100 in all since he first started out in WorldSBK over a decade ago.
Lowes had a tough and determined fight against both the official Honda machines in race one, as he showed his characteristic grit and desire, finishing inside the top six at a circuit completely new to him this weekend.
One ten lap and a final 21-lap WorldSBK race remain for Jonathan and Alex at Estoril on Sunday, with each out to end what has been at times a highly unusual eight round championship campaign with a flourish.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “I have no feeling right now; I cannot even look back. It has been an incredible journey this season. I want to thank WorldSBK, Dorna, all the circuits and organisers to even get racing this year. In the middle of what everyone has experienced in 2020 sport always comes second – but we managed to race. I miss the fans here, I miss not having my family and friends here, and all my travelling support from back home in Northern Ireland; I really miss that. They cannot be here right now but it is for all of them and my Kawasaki Racing Team, for keeping pushing this season. We started behind like last year but never gave up. It has been a hell of a journey and I am so happy.”
Alex Lowes, stated: “First of all I am so happy for all the Kawasaki guys and Jonathan. For the whole of KRT, and especially for the guys on his side of the garage. It is so hard to win a world championship let alone six in a row, so big respect to them. I am proud to be part of the team and let’s hope next year we can get involved too and make it a bit harder for him. In Superpole I feel like I did not do a very good lap on the qualifying tyre. There are quite a few corners here that you are on the side of the tyre for a long time and with the Q it just upset the front a bit, which I did not expect. In the race I got a good start but I wasn’t fast enough in the first few laps. I got into a battle with the two Hondas and I felt I was faster than those guys but they kept passing me and I would get back onto them, but and then the same thing would happen again. It was a bit of a frustrating race because I could not find my own rhythm. I feel that if I could have done, I could have got away a little bit.”
Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in a strong eighth place in race one, with Sheridan Morais (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) 16th and Loris Cresson (Outdo Kawasaki TPR) 18th.
Perfect 10: Quartararo snatches pole from Viñales by half a tenth
The Frenchman bounces back from an FP3 crash to take pole at MotorLand, with Viñales denied by 0.046 and Crutchlow back on the front row for the first time since Austin 2019
Saturday, 17 October 2020
Fabio Quartararo (20). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Despite an FP3 crash leaving him riding through the pain barrier, Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) managed to snatch pole position from Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) at the Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragon, the Frenchman pipping the Spaniard by just 0.046 for his tenth MotoGP™ pole. Yamaha led the way on Saturday once again, but Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) took third and only two tenths off the top, with the Brit back on the front row for the first time since Austin 2019.
Q1 started with enough drama already; not a single Ducati having made it through automatically by virtue of combined practice times. So it was going to be tight, and Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were running in tandem – Dovizioso ahead –for much of the session. Petrucci took to the top first and last, with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) then ruining the Ducati Team party as the Aussie moved up to second. And that was it – Dovizioso was out, 13th on the grid and exceedingly unhappy about it.
As Q2 got underway, Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was the first to set a laptime but that was immediately beaten by Miller, a 1:47.657 coming in from the Australian to go top of the pile in the early stages. Quartararo slotted into P2 early doors before Morbidelli then snatched P2 back – and almost went top. Just 0.002 separated the number 21 from Miller, but there were plenty of red sectors lighting up the timing screens. Quartararo was one cause, shooting up to provisional pole, and following the Yamaha on track, Miller also improved. He stayed P2, but it was just a tenth splitting the pair.
Morbidelli then made it a Petronas 1-2 again, and again with less than a tenth in it, as Viñales slotted into P4 after the first set of flying laps. Crutchlow was in fifth, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) sitting on the outside of the provisional second row. But that was all going to change as the riders slotted in fresh rubber, ready for their second runs…
First up was Viñales, lapping alone, and he was 0.021 under Quartararo’s time in Sector 3. It only got better from there as he then leapfrogged his fellow Yamaha to take provisional pole by 0.171, taking over at the top. Crutchlow then crossed the line and moved up to P3 to shove Morbidelli down to head the second row, but the Italian was on a great lap and only 0.020 off in Sector 3. However, he then lost time down the back straight and despite setting a personal best time, the number 21 stayed P4. Viñales was then setting an almost identical lap time to his current P1 best, and the number 12 came across the line to go every so slightly quicker – but it was ultimately just 0.003 gained.
However, Quartararo had one more lap. The Frenchman was just through his first sector and up, and he kept it as he headed through Sector 2 0.073 faster than Viñales. Could he hold onto it? It was the latter half of the lap where Quartararo really gained time. Heading onto the almost 1km long back straight, the title chase leader was over a tenth and a half under Viñales’ best and despite losing over a tenth in the final split, the number 20 just kept it together to take pole by 0.046 seconds after yet another phenomenal final flying lap.
In terms of the front two rows, that was all she wrote so it’s a Yamaha 1-2 as Quartararo digs deep to claim Saturday honours, but Viñales has every chance of fighting for victory from second. Crutchlow makes a welcome return to the front row as the British rider finds form despite still nursing his arm injury, the LCR Honda man finishing 0.229 adrift of pole. Morbidelli was just 0.012 shy of the front row but it was a good day for the Italian and Yamaha on a circuit that hasn’t necessarily suited the YZR-M1’s characteristics in the past… ominous signs for race day?
After graduating from Q1, Miller claims a solid P5 to fly the Ducati flag in Aragon, the Australian fuming after his FP3 time – that was good enough for the top 10 – got chalked off due to Yellow Flag infringements, but amends made in the afternoon. Championship contender Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), meanwhile, will line-up in his best grid position since the Styrian GP. Suzuki’s strength doesn’t usually show on a Saturday afternoon compared to race day, so the signs are good for Mir and the Mayorcan should be one to watch on Sunday.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) set his personal best time on his final flying lap, and the Japanese rider ended up less than a tenth off Mir’s time to spearhead Petrucci and Aleix Espargaro on Row 3. The latter, younger brother Pol Espargaro and Repsol Honda Team’s Alex Marquez had a bit of an incident in Q2 as the Aprilia, Honda and KTM all ended up sandwiched together at the final corner.
Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins completes the top 10 on home turf, with Alex Marquez cementing his best MotoGP™ qualifying result in P11, and after heading through to Q2 for the first time. After the incident earlier in the session and a little damage to his KTM, Pol Espargaro had to settle for P12.
That’s it for Saturday as a dramatic MotoGP™ qualifying day draws to a close in Aragon. Medical centre to pole position for Quartararo is a heroic effort, but how will he fare in the race? Dovizioso has plenty of work to do to stay in the title race as the Italian launches from P13 – and his main competitors are all inside the top six. Another phenomenal battle awaits at MotorLand Aragon, with the premier class action coming your way at the later time of 15:00 (GMT+2).
Fabio Quartararo: “Honestly as soon as I had the crash I thought ‘can I ride in the afternoon?’. Now it’s not too bad but when I crashed I felt quite bad, I stood up and felt something wrong. But I’m so happy because it was a tough morning, yesterday I crashed and this morning again, and I always take a bit of time to be back. FP4 wasn’t so bad, and qualifying was good, my laptime is great. I could have done better because the lap wasn’t perfect but I can be happy because we’re on pole position and the goal was to be on the front row today.”
Lowes smashes MotorLand record to take tenth Moto2™ pole
The Brit heads Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio, with Marini seventh and Bastianini down in 12th
Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) means business at MotorLand Aragon, and the Brit took his tenth Moto2™ pole position at the track on Sunday with a lap record, beating Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (MB Conveyors Speed Up) to the honour. Championship leader Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) starts seventh, with his closest challenger Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team VR46) in 12th – leaving Lowes and Bezzecchi with a real advantage heading into Sunday…
In Q1 it was Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jorge Martin and Tetsuta Nagashima heading through on top, joined by Simone Corsi (MV Agusta Forward Racing) and Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) as the four got ready to fight it out again for the top 18 positions on the grid, leaving behind a few surprises such as Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing). But the clock was reset, and it was go-time for Q2.
It was Di Giannantonio who came out the blocks fastest in the second part of qualifying. A 1:52.364 was a decent banker lap time but it was soon beaten by Championship leader Marini, with rookie Marcos Ramirez (Tennor American Racing) then taking over at the top as he sat just behind Marini on track. Fortunes then favoured Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) as the British rider became the first ever Moto2™ rider to set a sub-1:52 at MotorLand Aragon, although the stunning lap was soon bettered by Diggia as the Italian took back to the top.
Out of nowhere, Bezzecchi then produced a sterling final sector to take provisional pole, making it an Italian 1-2 at the summit and Lowes lurking down in P10 with just three minutes to go. The number 22 was soon #OnIt though and at the third checkpoint, the Brit was a whopping four tenths quicker than Bezzecchi. Surely pole position was his with just the back straight and final two corners to navigate? Lowes flew across the line to do exactly that, but he did lose three tenths in the last split. Not that it matters though, the number 22 snatching P1 by 0.148.
No one else could challenge in the closing stages so Lowes will start from his first pole position since the 2016 Aragon GP – a race he went on to win. Bezzecchi will also be looking to close down the points gap from second, with Diggia completing the front row – his first since the 2019 San Marino GP. Dixon’s 1:51.999 was a firecracker of a time and yet, he’s not on the front row. Nevertheless, it’s a Moto2™ best qualifying for the sophomore who continues to show fine form. Lining up next to Dixon in P5 is another rider who claimed a career-best Moto2™ qualifying result – Ramirez. The Spaniard has been on form all weekend and will be hoping – at least – a top 10 challenge is on the cards.
Jorge Navarro (MB Conveyors Speed Up) was also under the former lap record, but has to settle for P6. Spearheading Row 3 is Marini who gets bumped back after Lowes’ late lap, far from a disaster for the Italian but it looks like he has plenty of work on his hands to try and stop Lowes or Bezzecchi closing his Championship gap further. Q1 graduate Jorge Martin salvages a P8 starting slot after finishing Free Practice in P19, the Spaniard ahead of compatriot Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Remy Gardner (Onexox TKKR SAG Team) as the duo round out the top 10. Enea Bastiaini (Italtrans Racing Team) – the man second in the Championship – starts from his second-worst qualifying place of the season in P12, just behind 11th place Joe Roberts (Tennor American Racing).
Lowes is riding the crest of a wave on a circuit he loves. Will it be a second consecutive victory of the season, or can Bezzecchi beat his title rival? Di Giannantonio will be confident of a victory challenge too and whichever way you look at it, the Moto2™ Aragon GP looks set to be a barnstormer. Tune in to watch it at 13:20 (GMT+2)!
Moto2™ front row
1 Sam Lowes – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Kalex 1:51.651
2 Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex +0.148
3 Fabio Di Giannantonio – MB Conveyors Speed Up – Speed Up +0.219
Sam Lowes: “This morning, well.. when you crash but you understand the mistake or the problem it’s ok, and we understand what happened this morning and it was probably good for me to show me where the limit was! I’m happy and I’ve got really good pace, and on used tyres as well I feel fast, so I feel good. It’s nice to come from winning last weekend to back it up with a pole position, it’s confidence building for me and thanks to the team, the bike has worked great since FP1. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. When everything’s going in a good way it’s a nice feeling so we need to make the most of it.”
Fernandez pips Vietti for fourth pole of the season
The Spaniard takes it by just 0.059, with Arenas completing an all-KTM front row
Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) backed up going fastest on Friday by taking a fourth pole position of the season at MotorLand Aragon, the Spaniard coming out on top in a duel with Le Mans winner Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) by just 0.059. The two were in a class of their own on Saturday, with Championship leader Albert Arenas (Solunion Aspar Team Moto3) taking third to complete an all-KTM front row but over half a second back.
In Q1 there were a few key names looking to move through, including John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) as the two had laps cancelled late on in FP3 after Yellow Flags invalidated them- The two moved through behind Carlos Tatay (Reale Avintia Moto3) at the top of the session and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) in second, with the clock was then reset and the four joining the rest fighting it out for the top 18 places on the grid.
CIP – Green Power’s Darryn Binder was the first man to top the timesheets early on in Q2, before John McPhee hit back to take over and immediately depose the South African. And then came Fernandez: the Spaniard hit the top soon after, then later going even faster to bang in a 1:57.681.
Only 11 riders had set a lap mid-session, however, so would the tables turn? With a couple of minutes left, Vietti managed to leapfrog the two Sterilgarda Max Racing Team riders, Alonso Lopez and Romano Fenati, who had been in P2 and P3 respectively, to become the closest challenger to Fernanez’ impressive lap. Vietti was now within a couple of tenths and on another solid lap, and in even better news for the VR46 Academy rider, he was setting his laps on his own too… something that most definitely bodes well for race day.
It all came down to the final push for the number 13, and he got even closer as he stayed in touch with Fernandez’ time throughout the lap. Could he do it? Ultimately no, but it was incredibly close as the Italian crossed the line just 0.059 off Fernandez, with no one else able to challenge the number 25.
Arenas moved up on his final lap to take the final place on the front row, with Alonso Lopez shuffled down to fourth but nevertheless putting in an impressive session as he keeps his recent pace rolling. The number 21 will, however, have to take a Long Lap Penalty in the race that he was given following his collision with teammate Fenati last time out. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) denied that same Fenati fifth on the grid as the Japanese rider pipped the Italian by just 0.004, pushing the number 55 down to P6.
Tatay went from Q1 to seventh, joined on the third row by Championship challenger Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) and another Q1 graduate: Rodrigo. McPhee completes the top ten, missing out to Rodrigo by just 0.001 but beating Darryn Binder by 0.012 as the South African starts just outside the top ten.
That’s it from an exciting Saturday at Aragon, with the stage set for another good battle on Sunday. Can the likes of Fernandez and Vietti escape? Or will we see another classic freight train battle? Find out at the later time of 12:00 (GMT +2) as the lights go out for Moto3™!
Moto3™ front row
1 Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM 1:57.681
2 Celestino Vietti – Sky Racing Team VR46 – KTM +0.059
3 Albert Arenas – Solunion Aspar Team Moto3 – KTM – +0.510
Raul Fernandez: “Yesterday it was an incredible feeling, and this morning with the cold temperatures we had some more problems with the tyres but we knew that in qualifying with the temperature then it would be better and we would be stronger. We didn’t think too much about the morning in qualifying, but it was chaos – Moto3 qualifying is always chaos – but I could get an incredible time and alone, a bit of slipstream in the back straight but we’re ready for the race. We need to prepare the last part of the race better… and to enjoy it more!
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This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Hide Emoji
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
November 12, 2026
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
