Ezra Beaubier, riding his Orange Cat Racing BMW M 1000 RR, was quickest in MotoAmerica Steel Commander Stock 1000 FP1 Friday morning at Road America. Beaubier’s lap time of 2:14.866 led the 37-rider field with the next-fastest rider, Hayden Gillim, recording a 2:16.393.
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Championship point leader Nicolo Bulega went quicker than the Race Lap Record during World Supersport Free Practice Two (FP2) Friday afternoon at Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, in Rimini, San Marino.
Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V2, Bulega navigated the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) circuit in 1:37.267, which was quicker than Bulega’s own Race Lap Record of 1:37.671 from 2022.
Former MotoAmerica regular Valentin Debise, who rides for the GMT94 Racing Yamaha team, will miss this round due to “health issues,” according to a post on his social media.
WSS FP2
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Bulega fastest on Friday in Misano
Nicolo Bulega was the fastest rider on track on Friday as he posted a 1’37.267s in Free Practice 2. He was 0.707s quicker than Simone Corsi in second place.
P1 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team | 1’37.267s
“To be first on the first day is always good. It’s a nice way to start this weekend for my home round, so I’m very happy to be fast. We must continue to work because for sure the other guys will be faster tomorrow, so we must improve and try to be as fast as today and to enjoy this weekend. We managed to improve in a lot of races compared to last year, so tomorrow, the goal is to improve and try to win.”
Italian wildcard Simone Corsi was second in the combined classification having set a 1’37.974s in the afternoon session.
Federico Caricasulo took third spot in the combined results with a 1’37.139s, as he aims for solid result on home soil.
WorldSSP Friday Report
Friday in the FIM Supersport World Championship at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for the 2023 Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round with Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) taking top spot by more than half-a-second ahead of his nearest rivals. Despite Bulega’s impressive pace, headlines were taken by wildcard rider Simone Corsi (Altogo Racing Team) who took second place in the combined classification.
Bulega put in a series of fast laps towards the end of the 45-minute session and posted a best lap of 1’37.627s to claim top spot as he led an Italian quartet at the head of the WorldSSP field. He had a 0.707s gap to wildcard Corsi in second place who, after taking fourth in FP1, was able to improve his lap time further to claimed second in the standings. Only Bulega and Corsi lapped Misano on Friday in the 1’37s bracket while Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) claimed fourth place despite an early crash in FP2 at Turn 5; he re-joined the session later on to take third place.
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) was the only rider in the top ten, and one of only five in total, who did not improve their time in FP2. Despite setting a 1’38.485s in FP2, he took fourth in the combined classification with his time of 1’38.229s from FP1; in that session, he was able to top the times. Fifth place belonged to the most recent WorldSSP race winner, Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), as he continues his impressive run of form while Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) rounded out the top six.
WorldSSP action resumes on Saturday with the Tissot Superpole from 10:25 (Local Time), followed Race 1 at 15:15.
Defending Champion Alvaro Bautista was close to the Race Lap Record during World Superbike Free Practice Two (FP2) Friday afternoon at Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, in Rimini, San Marino.
Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, Bautista lapped the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) circuit in 1:33.825, which was just shy of Toprak Razgatlioglu’s 2022 Race Lap Record of 1:33.722.
American Garrett Gerloff did a 1:34.610 on his Bonovo Action BMW M 1000 RR, which placed him sixth-fastest in the session and overall Friday.
SBK FP2
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Ducati’s Bautista ahead of Razgatlioglu and Petrucci after Free Practices
Championship leader Alvaro Bautista was fastest on Friday. He was quicker in the afternoon session with a best time of 1’33.825s.
P1 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 1’33.825s
“Today I had a combination of feelings because this morning during FP1, we were using the tyre I normally don’t like, to manage the quantity throughout the whole weekend. The feeling with the bike was very difficult, so it was like a different bike from the test. Track conditions were not like during the test, but anyway the feeling with the bike was very difficult. I think it was due to the tyre combination because in the afternoon, I used the tyre that normally I like, especially in the front, and it seemed like it was a completely different bike, and I felt really good. We also tried some setups on the bike, in the gear, to make the bike a bit longer on the gear because there was a point where I reached the limiter due to having fewer RPM. So we have to adapt at every track now. And we tried it, it was good and I’m happy. The feeling with the bike was fantastic. I did all the practice with the same tyres, so I did more than the race distance with the tyres, and the pace was good, the feeling was good, and I’m happy with the feeling today.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu was second with a 1’34.154s set in the morning session.
Third place in the combined classification goes to Danilo Petrucci. The Italian’s Rookie’s fastest time came in FP2 as he posted a 1’34.276s.
Italian Michael Ruben Rinaldi finished fourth overall with a 1’34.283s. He was one of the riders who was able to improve in FP2.
Jonathan Rea was ninth overall on Friday 0.888s behind Bautista.
WorldSBK Friday Report
The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is back underway with round five and the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round from the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, and a frenetic Friday has come to a close with plenty of reason for the Ducatisti to be cheering. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was on fire throughout the day and despite P3 in the morning, he was the only rider to dip into the 1’33s in the whole day with a strong afternoon session.
Just down the road from where they’re based, Ducati were on a mission and Alvaro Bautista was keen to demonstrate his prowess at Misano. The Championship leader was third in the morning and led most of FP2 as he finished top overall. With three wins for Ducati at the track and a frighteningly consistent race pace after a stunning 12-lap run at the start of the session, Bautista remains the favourite for the weekend ahead, but perhaps a big threat will come from the other side of the garage. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi has been in formidable form on Friday with second in FP1 after leading the majority of the session, whilst he was second for most of FP2 behind teammate Bautista, being pushed down to P4 at the end. Come the end of the day, the #21 finished fourth and has put himself in a prime position for the races to come.
In Yamaha blue – for the rest of this year anyway – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) came out the blocks fighting on Friday and topped the opening session of the weekend, and it stood until Bautista beat it in FP2 at the end of his first run. Razgatlioglu was a little bit adrift when the temperatures came up in the afternoon and was outside the top three for most of it, but nonetheless finished the day in second.
Taking third at the end of the day and second in FP2, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) is planning to be a star at home. His first outing at Misano in WorldSBK has proved to be a positive one as he blasted up the order on his final flying run, going nearly a second quicker than his FP1 time.
In green, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was in good form too and was top Kawasaki across both sessions on Friday. The #22 was up in third and demonstrated a strong pace from the start, even if he couldn’t get within half a second of Bautista’s top time. He improved in FP2 and finished fourth overall, as did teammate Jonathan Rea but the six-time World Champion was down in eighth position for most of the session and despite a time attack at the end of the session, the #65 wasn’t able to improve and will have a little bit of work to do for Saturday and Sunday, with ninth at the end of day one.
WorldSBK action resumes on Saturday with FP3 from 09:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole at 11:10 and Race 1 at 14:00.
Spaniard Xavi Fores was fastest during MotoAmerica Supersport Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at recently repaved Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2, Fores lapped the four-mile course in 2:19.343, which was significantly slower than Garrett Gerloff’s All-Time and Race Lap Record of 2:17.675.
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Belgian rider Levi Badie posted the best lap time during MotoAmerica Junior Cup Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at repaved Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Riding his Badie Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400 on Dunlop control tires, Badie lapped the 4.0-mile road course in 2:41.323. That time was the fastest in the 29-rider field but was significantly slower than Rocco Landers’ existing All-Time and Race Lap Record of 2:39.192.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) FP1 preceded Junior Cup FP1, but due to a transponder issue there are no lap times available from BTR FP1, according to MotoAmerica.
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Italian Yari Montella, riding his Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati Panigale V2, topped World Supersport Free Practice One at Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, in Rimini, San Marino. Montella’s lap time of 1:38.229 was the best in the 32-rider field.
Former MotoAmerica regular Valentin Debise, who rides for the GMT94 Racing Yamaha team, will miss this round due to “health issues,” according to a post on his social media.
WSS FP1
Toprak Razgatlioglu, riding his Pata Yamaha Prometeon YZF-R1, ripped to the top of the order in World Superbike Free Practice One Friday morning at Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, in Rimini, San Marino. Razgatlioglu did a lap time of 1:34.154 to lead the field of 25 riders.
American Garrett Gerloff was seventh overall and the quickest BMW rider on his Bonovo Action BMW M 1000 RR.
SBK FP1
On the Front Cover: Jack Miller and his KTM RC16 MotoGP racebike blur the scenery
during the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. Miller is happy with his factory team move from Ducati to KTM. Photo by Gigi Soldano/DPPI Media.
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JUNE 2023 ISSUE
FEATURES
Inside Info: Kawasaki Reboots ZX-10RR and ZX-6R Models, Toprak
Razgatlioğlu Leaving Yamaha And Signing With BMW For 2024
WorldSBK…
Tried & Tested: Shoei X-Fifteen Track Review
Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1973 John Player Norton
MotoGP Analysis: Jack And Ruby Miller’s Life In Racing
Headquarters: KTM North America Bets On California
RACING
MotoGP World Championship At Le Mans: Bez Is Back!
MotoAmerica at Barber: Gagne Takes Charge
Superbike World Championship At Catalunya: All Bautista. Again!
COLUMNS
Letters To The Editor: On-The-Fly Adjustments
10 Years Ago, June 2013: Marc Marquez dragged elbow on the cover of the June
2013 issue of Roadracing World. Jeremy Toye tested a new Honda
CBR600RR; Cribs looked at Superbike pioneer Reg Pridmore’s
airport hanger home. Jorge Lorenzo won the MotoGP race in
Qatar, and Marquez won his first at COTA…
Numbers & Trivia: Marco Bezzecchi’s Racing Career
The Kids’ Page: : Cole Varnes
Editor’s Book Review: Tony Murphy’s Life Story
New Products: The WagBar High-Protein Snack
The Crash Page: Hector Barbera In 250cc GP, 2009
Racing, School, & Track Day Calendar: Where & When To Ride
Classified Ads/Advertiser Index
High Performance Parts & Services Directory
Chris Ulrich: Adventures Of An Ex-Racer: Testing At STT Nashville
HEAT CONTINUES TO RISE IN SCORCHING FOURTH QUALIFYING
The speeds continued to soar in fourth qualifying for the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races, with the quickest laps ever seen during a qualifying week being set on both two and three wheels.
It was Peter Hickman who was quickest in the Superbike class with a standing start lap of 133.797mph on the Monster Energy by FHO Racing BMW, which was just 0.162s quicker than Michael Dunlop, the Hawk Racing Honda rider posting a lap of 133.775mph.
On three wheels, Ben and Tom Birchall not only set the best qualifying lap ever in the Sidecar class but they also dipped inside their own lap record with a speed of 119.414mph, which was again done from a standing start.
Conditions were again perfect for the fourth day in a row with James Hillier leading the field away this time on the Superstock OMG Racing Yamaha, followed by Hickman, Davey Todd (Milenco by Padgetts Honda), Jamie Coward (KTS Racing Honda) and Dunlop. Coward got less than ten miles though as he stopped at Sarah’s Cottage with Rob Hodson (SMT Racing Honda) another early retirement at the exit of Kirk Michael.
Hickman was quickest on the opening lap with his near 134mph lap and, indeed, several riders set their quickest laps of the evening on the first lap including Todd (131.561), Hickman’s team-mate Josh Brookes (129.883), and David Johnson (128.392). Dunlop’s opening gambit was 133.191mph.
Second time around and Hickman did another 133mph+ lap, this time at 133.553mph, with Dunlop and Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) lapping at a similar pace on their Superstock mounts with respective laps of 132.728mph and 132.700mph. The gap between the two was just two tenths of a second with Hickman putting in a late lap of 131.952mph during a solo session which lasted 1hr45min.
Back to the Superbike class and after two laps on his Superstock machine, Dunlop switched to his Superbike and only narrowly missed out on the quickest lap of the night with his lap of 133.775mph. Harrison went third quickest after lapping at 132.921mph ahead of Todd, Brookes and Hillier.
Meanwhile, local newcomer Ryan Cringle broke the 120mph barrier for the first time with a lap of 121.48mph.
In the Superstock class, the top three was Harrison, Dunlop and Hickman with Hillier in fourth after posting his first 130mph+ lap of the week at 130.195mph. Mike Browne was a fine fifth, after a personal best lap of 129.104mph, with John McGuinness rounding out the top six at 128.821mph.
As well as the Superstock class, Dunlop was also quickest in the Supersport category with a lap of 127.557mph – the quickest of the week so far – with Coward (124.675) in second after just getting back in time for a lap on his Yamaha. The top six was completed by James Hind (124.553), Hillier (122.276), Harrison (122.518) and Craig Neve (122.036). Newcomers Jorge Halliday and Jack Petrie went quicker again at 112.932mph and 112.568mph respectively.
That just left the Sidecars to complete the evening’s action and the Birchalls ensured their two-wheel counterparts weren’t going to get the headlines as they lapped inside their 2018 lap record on their very first lap with a stunning 119.414mph effort.
Ryan and Callum Crowe slotted into an early second, increasing their pace to 116.142mph ahead of Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley (113.536), Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes (111.841), John Holden/Maxime Vasseur (111.706) and Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde (110.878).
The Birchalls pulled in but Founds/Walmsley continued for another lap, recording a speed of 117.587mph to move into second on the leaderboard, with Steve and Matty Ramsden (110.878), the only other crew to break the 110mph barrier. Newcomer Daryl Gibson, with Tom Christie in the chair, came close though with a first lap speed of 109.795mph.
Tomorrow’s qualifying session is set to get under at 13:00. Click here to view tomorrow’s schedule.
Pirelli Celebrates 20 Years Alongside WorldSBK at Misano
A Collaboration with a Record Duration, Based on Technological Innovation with a Direct Impact on Road Tire Development
2.9 Million Race Kilometers Covered by Pirelli Tires, Equal to Almost Eight Times the Distance from Earth to the Moon
MILAN (June 1, 2023) – On the occasion of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna round at Misano, Round 5 of the 2023 season, Pirelli will celebrate 20 years as Sole Tire Supplier for all the classes of the FIM Superbike World Championship.
This successful partnership, between Pirelli and the top two-wheel production-based championship, which began in 2004 and to date has no equal in terms of duration, within international motorsport. It also represents the first example of control tire in the history of top motorsport competitions, later adopted by many other championships.
In approaching this championship, Pirelli has decided to respect its basic philosophy, i.e. the very strong and direct link with production-based motorcycles and products. This is why the tire range is not made up of prototypes but of standard production products that can be purchased by all motorcyclists on the market. And from this choice the Italian tire company has made a strong point and a corporate strategy that it wanted to summarize in the now historic motto, “We sell what we race, we race what we sell” to indicate precisely how the same tires used by professional riders are also on sale on the market. In other words, a direct transfer of technology from the track to the road.
It has been 20 years of technological innovation. Pirelli was the first to introduce colors to distinguish the compounds by applying colored labels on the shoulder of the tires. In 2013, once more the first company in history to do so, Pirelli abandoned 16.5-inch tires in motorcycle competitions in favor of the new 17-inch tires, a size more widespread on the road among motorcyclists. Five years later, in 2018, there was the transition to larger sizes, 125/70 front and 200/65 rear. More recently, Pirelli has introduced new solutions in very soft compounds such as the rear SCX and SCQ capable of offering riders even higher performance and, most recently, also a new soft SC0 solution at the front. All innovations that over the years have set new standards not only in the racing field but also on the wider market.
The DIABLO Superbike and DIABLO Supercorsa tires, developed by Pirelli for the classes of the production-based championship, boast unique achievements after 20 years of racing: in the World Championship they have been used successfully by 1,438 riders, they have competed in 1,105 races for a total of 18,891 laps and 2.9 million race kilometers, equal to almost eight times the distance that separates the Earth from the Moon. Tires that have been developed with the collaboration of some of the greatest motorcycling champions who have made the history of WorldSBK, among these 11 have won at least one world title in the premier class with Pirelli: James Toseland, Troy Corser, Troy Bayliss, Ben Spies, Max Biaggi, Carlos Checa, Tom Sykes, Sylvain Guintoli, Jonathan Rea, Toprak Razgatlioglu and reigning world champion Álvaro Bautista.
Giorgio Barbier, Motorcycle Racing Director Pirelli
“Motorsport is part of our DNA and with the Superbike World Championship we have managed to combine the world of the track with that of the road: those who choose a Pirelli motorcycle tire must know that they are not simply buying a round black tire but the result of 20 years of experience and constant technological development that Pirelli has carried forward in this championship thanks also to the collaboration of Dorna, the FIM, the riders and the teams. We are therefore proud to be able to celebrate this important milestone but while we retrace with our memories what we have done in the past, our gaze is already projected towards the future, towards new challenges, to write new chapters of this beautiful story”.
ABOUT PIRELLI
Pirelli was founded in Milan in 1872 and today stands as a global brand known for its cutting edge technology, high-end production excellence and passion for innovation that draws heavily on its Italian roots. With around 30,000 employees, Pirelli is a major player in the tire industry and the only global player focused solely on the consumer tire market, which includes tires for cars, motorcycles and bicycles. In particular, Pirelli is a global leader in the production of racing and high performance motorcycle tires both for on and off road applications. Pirelli has a long link with motorsport and the multitude of successes include a record of seventy-two world titles gained in the FIM Motocross World Championship thanks to the performance of its mx product range. In road-racing, since 2004 Pirelli has made the FIM Superbike World Championship for production-based motorcycles the ideal proving ground to develop not only the products used in competition, but also tires used daily by motorcyclists all over the world. Inspired by the philosophy now become a motto “We sell what we race, we race what we sell”, Pirelli has managed to bring to fruition all the experience acquired in this championship, applying some of the patents and materials developed for racing activity to the product portfolio dedicated to road use.
Ezra Beaubier, riding his Orange Cat Racing BMW M 1000 RR, was quickest in MotoAmerica Steel Commander Stock 1000 FP1 Friday morning at Road America. Beaubier’s lap time of 2:14.866 led the 37-rider field with the next-fastest rider, Hayden Gillim, recording a 2:16.393.
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Championship point leader Nicolo Bulega went quicker than the Race Lap Record during World Supersport Free Practice Two (FP2) Friday afternoon at Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, in Rimini, San Marino.
Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V2, Bulega navigated the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) circuit in 1:37.267, which was quicker than Bulega’s own Race Lap Record of 1:37.671 from 2022.
Former MotoAmerica regular Valentin Debise, who rides for the GMT94 Racing Yamaha team, will miss this round due to “health issues,” according to a post on his social media.
WSS FP2
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Bulega fastest on Friday in Misano
Nicolo Bulega was the fastest rider on track on Friday as he posted a 1’37.267s in Free Practice 2. He was 0.707s quicker than Simone Corsi in second place.
P1 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team | 1’37.267s
“To be first on the first day is always good. It’s a nice way to start this weekend for my home round, so I’m very happy to be fast. We must continue to work because for sure the other guys will be faster tomorrow, so we must improve and try to be as fast as today and to enjoy this weekend. We managed to improve in a lot of races compared to last year, so tomorrow, the goal is to improve and try to win.”
Italian wildcard Simone Corsi was second in the combined classification having set a 1’37.974s in the afternoon session.
Federico Caricasulo took third spot in the combined results with a 1’37.139s, as he aims for solid result on home soil.
WorldSSP Friday Report
Friday in the FIM Supersport World Championship at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for the 2023 Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round with Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) taking top spot by more than half-a-second ahead of his nearest rivals. Despite Bulega’s impressive pace, headlines were taken by wildcard rider Simone Corsi (Altogo Racing Team) who took second place in the combined classification.
Bulega put in a series of fast laps towards the end of the 45-minute session and posted a best lap of 1’37.627s to claim top spot as he led an Italian quartet at the head of the WorldSSP field. He had a 0.707s gap to wildcard Corsi in second place who, after taking fourth in FP1, was able to improve his lap time further to claimed second in the standings. Only Bulega and Corsi lapped Misano on Friday in the 1’37s bracket while Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) claimed fourth place despite an early crash in FP2 at Turn 5; he re-joined the session later on to take third place.
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) was the only rider in the top ten, and one of only five in total, who did not improve their time in FP2. Despite setting a 1’38.485s in FP2, he took fourth in the combined classification with his time of 1’38.229s from FP1; in that session, he was able to top the times. Fifth place belonged to the most recent WorldSSP race winner, Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), as he continues his impressive run of form while Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) rounded out the top six.
WorldSSP action resumes on Saturday with the Tissot Superpole from 10:25 (Local Time), followed Race 1 at 15:15.
Defending Champion Alvaro Bautista was close to the Race Lap Record during World Superbike Free Practice Two (FP2) Friday afternoon at Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, in Rimini, San Marino.
Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, Bautista lapped the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) circuit in 1:33.825, which was just shy of Toprak Razgatlioglu’s 2022 Race Lap Record of 1:33.722.
American Garrett Gerloff did a 1:34.610 on his Bonovo Action BMW M 1000 RR, which placed him sixth-fastest in the session and overall Friday.
SBK FP2
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Ducati’s Bautista ahead of Razgatlioglu and Petrucci after Free Practices
Championship leader Alvaro Bautista was fastest on Friday. He was quicker in the afternoon session with a best time of 1’33.825s.
P1 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 1’33.825s
“Today I had a combination of feelings because this morning during FP1, we were using the tyre I normally don’t like, to manage the quantity throughout the whole weekend. The feeling with the bike was very difficult, so it was like a different bike from the test. Track conditions were not like during the test, but anyway the feeling with the bike was very difficult. I think it was due to the tyre combination because in the afternoon, I used the tyre that normally I like, especially in the front, and it seemed like it was a completely different bike, and I felt really good. We also tried some setups on the bike, in the gear, to make the bike a bit longer on the gear because there was a point where I reached the limiter due to having fewer RPM. So we have to adapt at every track now. And we tried it, it was good and I’m happy. The feeling with the bike was fantastic. I did all the practice with the same tyres, so I did more than the race distance with the tyres, and the pace was good, the feeling was good, and I’m happy with the feeling today.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu was second with a 1’34.154s set in the morning session.
Third place in the combined classification goes to Danilo Petrucci. The Italian’s Rookie’s fastest time came in FP2 as he posted a 1’34.276s.
Italian Michael Ruben Rinaldi finished fourth overall with a 1’34.283s. He was one of the riders who was able to improve in FP2.
Jonathan Rea was ninth overall on Friday 0.888s behind Bautista.
WorldSBK Friday Report
The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is back underway with round five and the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round from the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, and a frenetic Friday has come to a close with plenty of reason for the Ducatisti to be cheering. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was on fire throughout the day and despite P3 in the morning, he was the only rider to dip into the 1’33s in the whole day with a strong afternoon session.
Just down the road from where they’re based, Ducati were on a mission and Alvaro Bautista was keen to demonstrate his prowess at Misano. The Championship leader was third in the morning and led most of FP2 as he finished top overall. With three wins for Ducati at the track and a frighteningly consistent race pace after a stunning 12-lap run at the start of the session, Bautista remains the favourite for the weekend ahead, but perhaps a big threat will come from the other side of the garage. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi has been in formidable form on Friday with second in FP1 after leading the majority of the session, whilst he was second for most of FP2 behind teammate Bautista, being pushed down to P4 at the end. Come the end of the day, the #21 finished fourth and has put himself in a prime position for the races to come.
In Yamaha blue – for the rest of this year anyway – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) came out the blocks fighting on Friday and topped the opening session of the weekend, and it stood until Bautista beat it in FP2 at the end of his first run. Razgatlioglu was a little bit adrift when the temperatures came up in the afternoon and was outside the top three for most of it, but nonetheless finished the day in second.
Taking third at the end of the day and second in FP2, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) is planning to be a star at home. His first outing at Misano in WorldSBK has proved to be a positive one as he blasted up the order on his final flying run, going nearly a second quicker than his FP1 time.
In green, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was in good form too and was top Kawasaki across both sessions on Friday. The #22 was up in third and demonstrated a strong pace from the start, even if he couldn’t get within half a second of Bautista’s top time. He improved in FP2 and finished fourth overall, as did teammate Jonathan Rea but the six-time World Champion was down in eighth position for most of the session and despite a time attack at the end of the session, the #65 wasn’t able to improve and will have a little bit of work to do for Saturday and Sunday, with ninth at the end of day one.
WorldSBK action resumes on Saturday with FP3 from 09:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole at 11:10 and Race 1 at 14:00.
Spaniard Xavi Fores was fastest during MotoAmerica Supersport Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at recently repaved Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Riding his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V2, Fores lapped the four-mile course in 2:19.343, which was significantly slower than Garrett Gerloff’s All-Time and Race Lap Record of 2:17.675.
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Belgian rider Levi Badie posted the best lap time during MotoAmerica Junior Cup Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at repaved Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Riding his Badie Racing Kawasaki Ninja 400 on Dunlop control tires, Badie lapped the 4.0-mile road course in 2:41.323. That time was the fastest in the 29-rider field but was significantly slower than Rocco Landers’ existing All-Time and Race Lap Record of 2:39.192.
Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) FP1 preceded Junior Cup FP1, but due to a transponder issue there are no lap times available from BTR FP1, according to MotoAmerica.
23_5_RDAMER_JRC_P1_res
Italian Yari Montella, riding his Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati Panigale V2, topped World Supersport Free Practice One at Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, in Rimini, San Marino. Montella’s lap time of 1:38.229 was the best in the 32-rider field.
Former MotoAmerica regular Valentin Debise, who rides for the GMT94 Racing Yamaha team, will miss this round due to “health issues,” according to a post on his social media.
WSS FP1
Toprak Razgatlioglu, riding his Pata Yamaha Prometeon YZF-R1, ripped to the top of the order in World Superbike Free Practice One Friday morning at Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, in Rimini, San Marino. Razgatlioglu did a lap time of 1:34.154 to lead the field of 25 riders.
American Garrett Gerloff was seventh overall and the quickest BMW rider on his Bonovo Action BMW M 1000 RR.
SBK FP1
On the Front Cover: Jack Miller and his KTM RC16 MotoGP racebike blur the scenery
during the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. Miller is happy with his factory team move from Ducati to KTM. Photo by Gigi Soldano/DPPI Media.
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JUNE 2023 ISSUE
FEATURES
Inside Info: Kawasaki Reboots ZX-10RR and ZX-6R Models, Toprak
Razgatlioğlu Leaving Yamaha And Signing With BMW For 2024
WorldSBK…
Tried & Tested: Shoei X-Fifteen Track Review
Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1973 John Player Norton
MotoGP Analysis: Jack And Ruby Miller’s Life In Racing
Headquarters: KTM North America Bets On California
RACING
MotoGP World Championship At Le Mans: Bez Is Back!
MotoAmerica at Barber: Gagne Takes Charge
Superbike World Championship At Catalunya: All Bautista. Again!
COLUMNS
Letters To The Editor: On-The-Fly Adjustments
10 Years Ago, June 2013: Marc Marquez dragged elbow on the cover of the June
2013 issue of Roadracing World. Jeremy Toye tested a new Honda
CBR600RR; Cribs looked at Superbike pioneer Reg Pridmore’s
airport hanger home. Jorge Lorenzo won the MotoGP race in
Qatar, and Marquez won his first at COTA…
Numbers & Trivia: Marco Bezzecchi’s Racing Career
The Kids’ Page: : Cole Varnes
Editor’s Book Review: Tony Murphy’s Life Story
New Products: The WagBar High-Protein Snack
The Crash Page: Hector Barbera In 250cc GP, 2009
Racing, School, & Track Day Calendar: Where & When To Ride
Classified Ads/Advertiser Index
High Performance Parts & Services Directory
Chris Ulrich: Adventures Of An Ex-Racer: Testing At STT Nashville
HEAT CONTINUES TO RISE IN SCORCHING FOURTH QUALIFYING
The speeds continued to soar in fourth qualifying for the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races, with the quickest laps ever seen during a qualifying week being set on both two and three wheels.
It was Peter Hickman who was quickest in the Superbike class with a standing start lap of 133.797mph on the Monster Energy by FHO Racing BMW, which was just 0.162s quicker than Michael Dunlop, the Hawk Racing Honda rider posting a lap of 133.775mph.
On three wheels, Ben and Tom Birchall not only set the best qualifying lap ever in the Sidecar class but they also dipped inside their own lap record with a speed of 119.414mph, which was again done from a standing start.
Conditions were again perfect for the fourth day in a row with James Hillier leading the field away this time on the Superstock OMG Racing Yamaha, followed by Hickman, Davey Todd (Milenco by Padgetts Honda), Jamie Coward (KTS Racing Honda) and Dunlop. Coward got less than ten miles though as he stopped at Sarah’s Cottage with Rob Hodson (SMT Racing Honda) another early retirement at the exit of Kirk Michael.
Hickman was quickest on the opening lap with his near 134mph lap and, indeed, several riders set their quickest laps of the evening on the first lap including Todd (131.561), Hickman’s team-mate Josh Brookes (129.883), and David Johnson (128.392). Dunlop’s opening gambit was 133.191mph.
Second time around and Hickman did another 133mph+ lap, this time at 133.553mph, with Dunlop and Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) lapping at a similar pace on their Superstock mounts with respective laps of 132.728mph and 132.700mph. The gap between the two was just two tenths of a second with Hickman putting in a late lap of 131.952mph during a solo session which lasted 1hr45min.
Back to the Superbike class and after two laps on his Superstock machine, Dunlop switched to his Superbike and only narrowly missed out on the quickest lap of the night with his lap of 133.775mph. Harrison went third quickest after lapping at 132.921mph ahead of Todd, Brookes and Hillier.
Meanwhile, local newcomer Ryan Cringle broke the 120mph barrier for the first time with a lap of 121.48mph.
In the Superstock class, the top three was Harrison, Dunlop and Hickman with Hillier in fourth after posting his first 130mph+ lap of the week at 130.195mph. Mike Browne was a fine fifth, after a personal best lap of 129.104mph, with John McGuinness rounding out the top six at 128.821mph.
As well as the Superstock class, Dunlop was also quickest in the Supersport category with a lap of 127.557mph – the quickest of the week so far – with Coward (124.675) in second after just getting back in time for a lap on his Yamaha. The top six was completed by James Hind (124.553), Hillier (122.276), Harrison (122.518) and Craig Neve (122.036). Newcomers Jorge Halliday and Jack Petrie went quicker again at 112.932mph and 112.568mph respectively.
That just left the Sidecars to complete the evening’s action and the Birchalls ensured their two-wheel counterparts weren’t going to get the headlines as they lapped inside their 2018 lap record on their very first lap with a stunning 119.414mph effort.
Ryan and Callum Crowe slotted into an early second, increasing their pace to 116.142mph ahead of Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley (113.536), Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes (111.841), John Holden/Maxime Vasseur (111.706) and Gary Bryan/Phil Hyde (110.878).
The Birchalls pulled in but Founds/Walmsley continued for another lap, recording a speed of 117.587mph to move into second on the leaderboard, with Steve and Matty Ramsden (110.878), the only other crew to break the 110mph barrier. Newcomer Daryl Gibson, with Tom Christie in the chair, came close though with a first lap speed of 109.795mph.
Tomorrow’s qualifying session is set to get under at 13:00. Click here to view tomorrow’s schedule.
Pirelli Celebrates 20 Years Alongside WorldSBK at Misano
A Collaboration with a Record Duration, Based on Technological Innovation with a Direct Impact on Road Tire Development
2.9 Million Race Kilometers Covered by Pirelli Tires, Equal to Almost Eight Times the Distance from Earth to the Moon
MILAN (June 1, 2023) – On the occasion of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna round at Misano, Round 5 of the 2023 season, Pirelli will celebrate 20 years as Sole Tire Supplier for all the classes of the FIM Superbike World Championship.
This successful partnership, between Pirelli and the top two-wheel production-based championship, which began in 2004 and to date has no equal in terms of duration, within international motorsport. It also represents the first example of control tire in the history of top motorsport competitions, later adopted by many other championships.
In approaching this championship, Pirelli has decided to respect its basic philosophy, i.e. the very strong and direct link with production-based motorcycles and products. This is why the tire range is not made up of prototypes but of standard production products that can be purchased by all motorcyclists on the market. And from this choice the Italian tire company has made a strong point and a corporate strategy that it wanted to summarize in the now historic motto, “We sell what we race, we race what we sell” to indicate precisely how the same tires used by professional riders are also on sale on the market. In other words, a direct transfer of technology from the track to the road.
It has been 20 years of technological innovation. Pirelli was the first to introduce colors to distinguish the compounds by applying colored labels on the shoulder of the tires. In 2013, once more the first company in history to do so, Pirelli abandoned 16.5-inch tires in motorcycle competitions in favor of the new 17-inch tires, a size more widespread on the road among motorcyclists. Five years later, in 2018, there was the transition to larger sizes, 125/70 front and 200/65 rear. More recently, Pirelli has introduced new solutions in very soft compounds such as the rear SCX and SCQ capable of offering riders even higher performance and, most recently, also a new soft SC0 solution at the front. All innovations that over the years have set new standards not only in the racing field but also on the wider market.
The DIABLO Superbike and DIABLO Supercorsa tires, developed by Pirelli for the classes of the production-based championship, boast unique achievements after 20 years of racing: in the World Championship they have been used successfully by 1,438 riders, they have competed in 1,105 races for a total of 18,891 laps and 2.9 million race kilometers, equal to almost eight times the distance that separates the Earth from the Moon. Tires that have been developed with the collaboration of some of the greatest motorcycling champions who have made the history of WorldSBK, among these 11 have won at least one world title in the premier class with Pirelli: James Toseland, Troy Corser, Troy Bayliss, Ben Spies, Max Biaggi, Carlos Checa, Tom Sykes, Sylvain Guintoli, Jonathan Rea, Toprak Razgatlioglu and reigning world champion Álvaro Bautista.
Giorgio Barbier, Motorcycle Racing Director Pirelli
“Motorsport is part of our DNA and with the Superbike World Championship we have managed to combine the world of the track with that of the road: those who choose a Pirelli motorcycle tire must know that they are not simply buying a round black tire but the result of 20 years of experience and constant technological development that Pirelli has carried forward in this championship thanks also to the collaboration of Dorna, the FIM, the riders and the teams. We are therefore proud to be able to celebrate this important milestone but while we retrace with our memories what we have done in the past, our gaze is already projected towards the future, towards new challenges, to write new chapters of this beautiful story”.
ABOUT PIRELLI
Pirelli was founded in Milan in 1872 and today stands as a global brand known for its cutting edge technology, high-end production excellence and passion for innovation that draws heavily on its Italian roots. With around 30,000 employees, Pirelli is a major player in the tire industry and the only global player focused solely on the consumer tire market, which includes tires for cars, motorcycles and bicycles. In particular, Pirelli is a global leader in the production of racing and high performance motorcycle tires both for on and off road applications. Pirelli has a long link with motorsport and the multitude of successes include a record of seventy-two world titles gained in the FIM Motocross World Championship thanks to the performance of its mx product range. In road-racing, since 2004 Pirelli has made the FIM Superbike World Championship for production-based motorcycles the ideal proving ground to develop not only the products used in competition, but also tires used daily by motorcyclists all over the world. Inspired by the philosophy now become a motto “We sell what we race, we race what we sell”, Pirelli has managed to bring to fruition all the experience acquired in this championship, applying some of the patents and materials developed for racing activity to the product portfolio dedicated to road use.
