TAYLOR KNAPP TO RACE FOR TEAM HAMMER AND SUZUKI AT RIDGE MOTORSPORTS PARK
Team Hammer is pleased to announce that Taylor Knapp will compete for the team aboard a Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, on June 23-25.
Knapp will serve as a single-round guest rider aboard the factory Superbike that was unexpectedly in need of a capable pilot following the surprise retirement of former class champion Toni Elias following the Road America round.
Knapp is well suited to the role. He is one of the most experienced and versatile riders in the paddock, boasting a racing resume that spans disciplines, classes, nations, and manufacturers.
The 35-year-old Lapeer, Michigan native began racing flat track and motocross at the age of five and established himself as one of the nation’s leading amateur riders. He transitioned to pavement at 13 and turned pro at 16.
Over the past two decades, Knapp has enjoyed a decorated and varied road racing career, running up front as both a privateer and factory Superbike pilot. In addition to his premier class duties, Knapp has raced in Daytona SportBike, Stock 1000, and the King Of The Baggers over the years, while also competing overseas in the British Superbike series.
Additionally, he’s racked up numerous other racing accomplishments and accolades, including victorious performances at the Barber Pro Cup Challenge and WERA F1 National Championship.
Since 2017, Knapp has served as a Motorcycle Test Engineer for Dunlop Motorcycle Tires. He has continued to compete since accepting the position, and currently ranks sixth in the 2023 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 championship standings with a podium result at Road Atlanta.
“I am super excited to get on the Suzuki GSX-R1000R again. I’ve raced Suzukis in the past and always liked them and have had good success with them,” said Knapp. “It’s an honor to race for Team Hammer and Suzuki, so I am pumped. As Dunlop’s test rider, we have a couple of Suzuki 1000s that serve as our workhorses, so I ride them often. The weekend should be fun!”
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 347 times and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
Brandon Paasch Finishes 4th in the 100th Loudon Classic
Loudon, NH. – Competing in his first professional road race since sustaining a compression fracture of his L3 vertebrae in a training accident on March 30, 2023, Brandon Paasch placed fourth in a crash-riddled 100th Loudon Classic presented by NEMMR. The race was restarted multiple times in wet conditions then eventually called complete after the ninth restart. Paasch was awarded the position he was running in on lap 19 of the race.
Riding a Yamaha YZF-R6 on Pirelli tires prepared by Rodio Racing, Brandon placed 21st fastest in the Friday morning practice on a dry track about four seconds behind the fastest time. In the first qualifying session on Friday afternoon he was able to advance to 11th place with a time of 1:11.736, 1.062 seconds off the top qualifier. After overnight rain, in final qualifying on Saturday Paasch recorded the ninth-fastest time on a wet track, placing him 11th on the grid for the race among the final 32 qualifiers.
Saturday afternoon’s race started in wet conditions with occasional light rain with the race interrupted multiple times by red flags due to crashes. On each restart Brandon was able to advance through the field, even leading the race by a comfortable margin at one point. Although the race was scheduled to finish only on a checkered flag it was finally called before the 10th restart was made.
Brandon Paasch: “Well… I won’t be able to sit down for the next month! P4 in the end, not bad for our first outing since breaking my back three months ago. Loads of people to thank for this last minute effort. Cheers for all the support!!!”
Brandon took home $17,000 of the $250,000 purse for his efforts.
Rodio Racing thanks Pirelli for the fantastic tires, Skip Dowling and Rob Silva at K-Tech USA for suspension support, Anthony Corbo of Bauce Racing for the tune, and Phillip Bailey and Ryne Snooks for their massive help putting this effort together.
ASRA racing at Summit Point Motorsports Park was once again a great event for the 8th Round of 2023. The weather was great. In the Heavyweight Superbike race, Will Gawler, riding his Suzuki GSXR-1000, managed to stay ahead of Brian Grasso and his Yamaha YZF-R1. Chyler Weatherford was a close third.
The racing went very smoothly thanks to the talented racers that kept it up and the MARRC crew for keeping the safe and speedy decisions flowing. With 30 races over two days at Summit Point Raceway, everyone managed to get it all done by 3:30 PM on Sunday!
Two duels decide the two races in Scotland as Brinton takes a first victory in the Cup
Monday, 19 June 2023
In classic R&G British Talent Cup style, Race 1 at Knockhill was decided at the final corner and on the final lap as Amanuel Brinton (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) and Evan Belford (City Lifting/RS Racing) duelled it out for supremacy in Scotland. Brinton trailed Cup leader Belford throughout the 12-lap restarted race but was able to time his move to perfection to claim a first ever win in the Cup, right back in the mix at the front as he returned to the fold. And at a venue he’s never raced before!
As the race got underway, it was Belford who took the lead with the top four quickly breaking away from the chasing pack, although four soon became three when Rhys Stephenson (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) highsided at the final corner on Lap 3. It allowed Belford, Brinton and Sullivan Mounsey (Wilson Racing / Maddison Media) to scrap it out. On Lap 8, the red flags were shown after a crash for Daniel Goodman (VisionTrack Racing Team).
The race was restarted over a 12-lap distance, but the story was the same when the lights went out again. Belford, Brinton and Mounsey broke away in the opening laps, but the fight for victory turned into Belford against Brinton with Mounsey just behind. Brinton was pushing hard and had a huge moment into Turn 2 on Lap 10 which cost him time, before Belford had his own moments on Lap 12. Brinton used this to close the gap, and he made the race-winning overtake at the final corner on the last lap when he went up the inside of Belford. The pair were separated by just 0.029s at the line with Mounsey securing third place, almost 1.8 seconds down on Brinton.
There was another twist in the title fight too as Harrison Dessoy (Microlise Cresswell Racing / Eastern Garage Racing), who had been in the top three in the standings ahead of the visit to Knockhill, crashed on the opening lap of the restarted race.
There was a fierce fight for fourth as Ryan Frost (Talentum Motorsport By Azure Notions) fended off Julian Correa (Microlise Cresswell Racing) by just a tenth after 12 laps, while Harley McCabe (McCabe Racing) was just another tenth back in seventh place in a hotly contested battle for the top positions. The trio finished around seven seconds down on eventual winner Brinton, but they had a big gap to the riders behind who completed the top ten.
Eighth place went to Scott McPhee (SMP Racing) while Ronnie Harris (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) finished three seconds down on McPhee in ninth. Two riders squabbled over tenth place with Lucas Brown (Amphibian Scaffolding / SP125 Racing) and Alfie Davidson (Banks Racing) battling it out. Brown finished just ahead of Davidson with only 0.016s separating the pair across the line.
After a duel in Race 1, Evan Belford (City Lifting/RS Racing) and Amanuel Brinton (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) once again went toe-to-toe in the second R&G British Talent Cup showdown of the day, and on take two it was Belford who hit back for another 25-point haul as the race was red flagged with a few laps to go. Despite losing the chance for a late attack, Brinton takes another impressive podium in second, with Sullivan Mounsey (Wilson Racing / Maddison Media) taking third and his own second visit to the rostrum on Sunday after pipping Harley McCabe (McCabe Racing).
As the lights went out it was Belford who grabbed the holeshot from Brinton, with Mounsey close in third and McCabe in fourth as the quartet started to break away early. They remained line astern for the first half of the race, but by half distance Belford and Brinton had got the hammer down.
As the duo pulled away, it became a tale of two duels to decide the podium finishers. At the front, Brinton stayed tucked in behind Belford as the laps ticked down, but the fight was hotting up between Mounsey and McCabe as they began trading places.
With only a handful of laps still to go, however, the battle was cut short as the red flags came out – meaning there would be no chance of a late attack for Brinton. Belford took the win after leading the way since the lights went out, with Brinton forced to settle for second.
In the duel for the podium behind it wasn’t as clear cut, but Mounsey took it and another rostrum finish, having been ahead of McCabe in their showdown when the race was stopped.
After another close battle, in Race 2 it was Julian Correa (Microlise Cresswell Racing) who was two tenths ahead of Ryan Frost (Talentum Motorsport By Azure Notions) when the result was declared, with Ollie Walker (VisionTrack Racing Team) taking seventh after just fading off the back of that duel.
Filip Surowiak (FS75 Racing / FAB Racing) was eighth, with Scott McPhee (SMP Racing) and Alexander Rowan (Mortimer Racing Victoria House Academy) completing the top ten.
After another shuffle in Scotland, Belford now has some margin at the top of the standings – but it’s Brinton back on the chase in second. Mounsey is now third after a solid weekend, and McCabe fourth as the two both leapfrog Harrison Dessoy. The number 55 will want to bounce back at Snetterton after following up a crash in Race 1 with another in Race 2, leaving Scotland with nil points. Still, there’s plenty of the season still to go! Who will reign at Round 4? We’ll find out from the 7th to the 9th of July!
American Racing Team narrowly misses out on the points in Germany as Sean Dylan Kelly takes 17th whilst replacement rider Carlos Tatay finishes in 19th.
At a track he enjoyed last year, Sean’s weekend started positively as the American finished first practice 13th on the timings. With the weather taking a turn for the worst in the afternoon, no one was able to improve, and he ended the day in 13th despite a late crash after he touched a wet patch whilst entering the pits.
Focusing on race simulation for FP3, Sean braved the return of the wet weather, ending the morning in 12th. Due to the conditions, there were no further timing improvements and Sean secured his first direct Q2 spot.
With the sun shining and the track heating up for Q2, Sean set his best time of 1:25.519 to take 18th place for Sunday’s GermanGP.
Race day offered the best weather of the weekend as track temperatures reached 43°C. Sean’s race got off to a hectic start with a multi-rider crash ahead of him, luckily he was able to avoid any contact and make his way into 16th before quickly passing Marcos Ramirez for 15th.
Sean was able to hold onto the final points-scoring positions until lap seven when he was caught by Ai Ogura.
With the hot temperatures and lack of dry running time, Sean struggled to maintain the pace, dropping back into 17th where he ended the race.
Making his Moto2 World Championship debut, Carlos’ had a mixed first session. After rocketing into the top 10, the Spaniard took a tumble at Turn 11 and ended his session with 15 minutes remaining. The tricky conditions of FP2 made the team take a more conservative approach to Carlos’ session, opting to put in 15 laps to finish Friday in 27th.
Prioritising long runs for the final practice session, Carlos ended the wet running in 15th spot. Thankfully, the weather dramatically improved for Q1 and the Spaniard was able to get some dry track time for his first World Championship Qualifying session – ending the afternoon 12th to line up 26th on the grid.
It was a difficult start to his maiden World Championship race for Carlos. Despite avoiding a crash on lap one, the Spaniard lost ground and dropped back into 25th early on.
Fighting his way back through, he made his way into 19th spot, only half a second behind Zonta Van Den Goorbergh as he took the chequered flag, setting some of his best lap times right at the end of the race.
Sean Dylan Kelly (4) put a lot of riders behind him but came up just short of scoring points at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy American Racing Team.
Sean Dylan Kelly #4
I think it was a strong weekend. My first time directly into Q2, I think is a huge positive for me that I need to take and it’s something I’ve been working hard for so I’m really happy about that. We were competitive in the rain, fighting for that top 10 and finishing 12th in FP3 but today they were the hottest conditions that we’ve had all year so far – I felt strong in the race and I’m honestly happy with my performance and consistency. The grip was really difficult to manage but I was happy with how I was doing.
Unfortunately, I just missed out on the points in 17th – I think it was my closest gap to first and I had the group just ahead of me – I gave it my all but it just wasn’t enough for points today. I’m definitely disappointed about that but I’m looking at the positives and looking forward to next week.
Fill-in rider Carlos Tatay (99) finished 19th. Photo courtesy American Racing Team.
Carlos Tatay #99
It was a great weekend. My first FP1 was going really well but I crashed with just 10 laps in the session because of a cold tyre. I was feeling really good in the wet too but at the end, I did about 10 laps and then it was directly to Q1. It was quite difficult, but I had a good race with a good pace. In the beginning, I was finding my pace, and everything was quite new for me so I was coming little by little but in the end, I could do good lap times with good rhythm for the first time.
I’m not completely happy but I can say it was a good weekend for me as I keep learning and achieving little by little. Now, let’s go to Assen!
TOP-FIVE FINISHES FOR RED BULL KTM’S MAX WHALE AND KODY KOPP IN DUQUOIN MILE
Round 9 – American Flat Track Championship
DUQUOIN, Ill. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Max Whale and Kody Kopp raced hard at Round 9 of the 2023 American Flat Track Championship, with Whale finishing in fourth and Kopp fifth position following a thrilling AFT Singles Main Event at the DuQuoin Mile.
After qualifying ninth, Whale made strong progress throughout the event with his KTM 450 SX-F, as he secured second position in the second heat race of the night. This earned the Australian entry into Dash-for-Cash, which resulted in P4. More advancements were made as the Main Event arrived, with Whale situated in a five-rider dual for the top spot, eventually crossing the line in P4 by a slender 0.081s margin.
Max Whale: “We improved every time we hit the track here at the DuQuoin Mile and got everything working really well. We started strong, made it into the Dash again, which was good, and then just worked hard – got into a groove in the Main Event, tried to get to the front as quick as I could. I ended up in a battle with five guys, which was awesome, a lot of fun, and I crossed the stripe in fourth. We’ve worked hard as a team and are stoked to head into Lima!”
Defending AFT Singles Champion Kopp began the round with P2 in qualifying, before racing to third place in his heat race. A hotly-contested Main Event saw Kopp battle hard as the top six were separated by less than a half a second, with the number one plate-holder ultimately crossing the line in fifth place – only 0.106s from victory – to keep himself right in title contention.
Kody Kopp (1) finished fourth in the AFT Singles race at the DuQuoin Mile. Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM.
Kody Kopp: “Ended up P5 today, which is the best result we’ve had in a while, although there are a bunch of rounds coming up that I’m looking forward to. I wanted to get through these miles, because the results have been frustrating, and the consecutive off the box finishes have hurt the points chase. We’ll keep our heads up though, go into the next round which we won last year, and hope to do the same thing this time around.”
Next Race: Lima Half-Mile – Lima, Ohio – June 24, 2023
Round 9 Results
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Tom Drane, Yamaha
2. Chase Saathoff, Honda
3. Trent Lowe, Honda
4. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
5. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
OTHER KTM
8. Dalton Gauthier, KTM
13. Travis Petton IV, KTM
15. Declan Bender, KTM
16. Shayna Texter-Bauman, KTM
18. Landen Smith, KTM
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING WINS BIG AT DUQUOIN MILE WITH THRILLING PERFORMANCE BY JARED MEES
Reigning SuperTwins Champion Continues Gaining Momentum as he Hunts for Ninth-Career Grand National Championship
MINNEAPOLIS – In a thrilling Father’s Day weekend at the DuQuoin Mile in DuQuoin, Illinois, Indian Motorcycle Racing and reigning SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees secured their third-consecutive win of the 2023 American Flat Track (AFT) season. The win marks Mees’ fifth of the season and 26th-career Mile victory.
In the night’s Main event, it was Mees and rival, Dallas Daniels, along with Briar Bauman and Indian Motorcycle privateer Brandon Robinson, who gave fans a thrilling four-man showdown. While the pack endured a bar-to-bar battle throughout the race, frequently exchanging passes, it was Mees who crossed the checkered flag first, just .033 seconds ahead of Robinson.
“Jared and team have done an incredible job setting up the FTR750 for Mile races this season, as displayed through the team’s three consecutive Mile victories,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “Now halfway through the season, just nine points back from the top of the leaderboard, Mees is primed to carry this momentum and make a strong push at securing a record-tying ninth-career championship.”
Marking his 26th-career Mile victory, the win broke a three-way tie between Mees and former racing icons Bubba Shobert and Bryan Smith, giving Mees the third most Mile wins of all time.
Now with 189 points, Mees continues to chip away and close the gap behind SuperTwins points leader Daniels, who has three wins and 198 points on the year. The 2023 American Flat Track season continues June 24 for the Lima Half-Mile at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, OH.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde won Bennetts British Superbike Race Two Sunday at Knockhill Circuit in Scotland. Ryde won the 30-lap race by 0.903 second over BeerMonster Ducati’s Tommy Bridewell with McAMS Yamaha’s Jason O’Halloran finishing third.
In Race Three Sunday it was Glenn Irwin defeating his teammate Bridewell by 0.879 second and Ryde’s teammate Ryan Vickers finishing third on his Yamaha YZF-R1.
Tommy Bridewell (46) leads teammate Glenn Irwin (2) and the rest at Knockhill Circuit. Photo courtesy MSVR.
American Julian Correa finished fifth in both British Talent Cup races Sunday, while countryman Eli Banish was 19th and 11th in the two races.
American Julian Correa (40). Photo by Cami Photography, courtesy Michael Correa.
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Make mine a double! Irwin and BeerMonster Ducati bounce back to win race three
Glenn Irwin bounced back from a race two crash to celebrate victory in the final Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Knockhill, holding off his teammate Tommy Bridewell to celebrate a double win in Scotland, sharing today’s victories with Kyle Ryde.
Irwin had won the opening race of the weekend, but he shared the Scottish success with Ryde. The intense action across the three races meant that five different riders from three different teams featured on the podium.
In race two Ryde claimed his fourth win of the season after a determined performance to maintain his momentum for LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha.
O’Halloran had initially taken the lead ahead of Ryde, Ryan Vickers and Irwin. The lead group became a train of five riders as Bridewell worked his way through the order after his start from ninth on the grid and Christian Iddon was also in contention.
O’Halloran was piling the pressure on Ryde for the lead, but after attempting a move at the Hairpin, the McAMS Yamaha rider went wide and then as the pack crossed the line to start lap 23, Irwin passed both of his Yamaha rivals to move into the lead.
Irwin was then leading from Ryde, O’Halloran, Bridewell, Vickers and Iddon. However, it was a disaster for the BeerMonster Ducati rider when he crashed out of the lead at the Hairpin with three laps to go.
Ryde was then the race leader with Bridewell promoted to second after he had carved his way up the order with O’Halloran in third and that was how the podium lined up at the chequered flag.
Vickers missed out on the podium in fourth place with Iddon equalling his best result of the season in fifth place.
In race three, O’Halloran was again the race leader on the opening lap as he launched off the line ahead of Iddon and teammates Bridewell and Irwin.
Iddon wasted no time in trying to capture the lead and moved ahead of O’Halloran on the brakes into the Hairpin on the opening lap, but his McAMS Yamaha rival instantly fought back and regained the position before the start line.
It was heartbreak for O’Halloran though as he crashed his McAMS Yamaha out of the lead a lap later. Meanwhile Bridewell had moved into second and with the Australian out of contention, the BeerMonster Ducati rider was then leading the pack.
Ryde had been working his way up the order and he was second by the third lap ahead of Iddon and Irwin. Irwin though was determined to bounce back from his race two crash and he was into second by the tenth lap with a move on Ryde into turn one.
The leading group then became Bridewell, Irwin Ryde, Iddon and Vickers, but the BeerMonster Ducatis broke the pack in the closing stages. Irwin then grabbed the lead from Bridewell on lap 18 with another move on the brakes into turn one before holding him off until the chequered flag with the pair separated by 0.879s at the finish.
Iddon had been holding third place as he fought for his first podium finish of the season but he overshot the Hairpin with ten laps to go and had to re-join after an excursion through the gravel but was then in tenth. He was able to get the better of Dean Harrison in the closing stages but he had to settle for ninth place.
Vickers meanwhile had been shadowing his LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha teammate and he hit third with a move at the Hairpin on lap 20, before holding off the race two winner to claim his second podium finish of the season.
Lee Jackson was fifth as he battled with Leon Haslam ahead of Tom Neave who scored his season best result for Honda Racing UK after keeping Josh Brookes at bay on the leading FHO Racing BMW Motorrad.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, Race 2 result:
Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha)
Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.903s
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +1.171s
Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +2.148s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +5.188s
Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +10.926s
Storm Stacey (Starline Racing Kawasaki) +12.603s
Tom Neave (Honda Racing UK) +13.807s
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) +15.170s
Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team) +15.458s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, Race 3 result:
Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.879s
Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +3.137s
Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +7.483s
Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +9.675s
Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team) +9.854s
Tom Neave (Honda Racing UK) +11.396s
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) +11.868s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +17.964s
Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) +21.255s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) 163
Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 155
Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 152
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) 136
Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team) 136
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 98
Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) 97
Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 85
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 78
Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) 61
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Glenn Irwin
BeerMonster Ducati
“It’s a shame what happened in today’s first race as I could have been coming away with a hat-trick but I’m happy with the two wins we had and, like, yesterday, I really, really enjoyed the final race.
“I could see Tommy in the lead and knew when it was time to up the pace as whilst he was strong in some areas, I felt strong all around the circuit.
“He improved his braking into the hairpin all weekend, but the BeerMonster Ducati was strong out of the hairpin, and I was able to make my move along the straight and into the first corner.
“Two wins out of three means it’s been a pretty good weekend and I need to thank the team.”
More, from a press release issued by BeerMonster Ducati:
BeerMonster Ducati Double Up At Knockhill
Round four of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship proved a successful one for BeerMonster Ducati with doubles all round following the three races held at Knockhill in Scotland this weekend.
Following Glenn Irwin’s victory in the BikeSocial Sprint race yesterday, he backed that up with another win today to claim his first double of the season whilst teammate Tommy Bridewell kept his title charge on course with a superb double podium in both of today’s races to increase his championship lead.
Saturday’s results meant Glenn and Tommy lined up in fifth and ninth respectively for the opening 30-lap race around the 1.26-mile Fife venue with Irwin quickly slotting into third as Bridewell set about moving his way through the field once more on Paul Bird’s F23 specification V4R BeerMonster Ducati.
Tommy had moved up to sixth at half race distance with Glenn continuing to hold onto third as just 1.5 seconds covered the top six riders. It was all change on lap 23, however, as Irwin moved into the lead with Bridewell up to fourth before taking third two laps later.
But with three laps to go, there was heartbreak for Irwin as he crashed out of the lead at the Hairpin and that meant it was Kyle Ryde who got the win with Bridewell coming through for an excellent second.
That put Tommy in the middle of the front row for the final race of the weekend with Glenn in fifth once more. The duo completed the opening lap in the top five and soon moved forward, with Tommy taking the lead on the third lap as Glenn moved up to third.
By the tenth lap, they were running first and second and with Glenn having slightly quicker pace, he took over the lead on lap 18. On this occasion, he controlled proceedings all the way to the end and this time there was to be no mistake as he took the win from Bridewell by 0.879 seconds.
The result, which was the team’s second 1-2 of the season, sees Bridewell increase his championship lead to eight points ahead of Ryde with Irwin in third just three points down on his Yamaha rival.
Glenn Irwin: “It’s a shame what happened in today’s first race as I could have been coming away with a hat-trick but I’m happy with the two wins we had, and I really enjoyed the final race. I could see Tommy in the lead and knew when it was time to up the pace as whilst he was strong in some areas, I felt strong all around the circuit. He’s improved his braking into the Hairpin all weekend, but the BeerMonster Ducati was strong out of the Hairpin, and I was able to make my move along the straight and into the first corner. Two wins out of three means it’s been a pretty good weekend.”
Tommy Bridewell: “I’m over the moon with two seconds today especially as we were off the pace for the first day. I struggled a bit but credit to the team, we turned it around from qualifying onwards and I felt a lot better. It was a shame to see Glenn go down in the first race as it was again showing the strength of the team and the bike, but I knew he’d come out fighting in the third race. I got to the front and set a steady pace, trying to look after my tyre, but I knew Glenn would be there. He’s been riding with a bit more confidence than me, so I’ll take the two seconds especially as they’ve increased my championship lead.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s been another good day and whilst we could have come away with all three wins, we’ve still had four podiums and that’s a really good return given we thought this would be one of the more difficult circuits on the calendar. The team have worked phenomenally hard so full credit to them and both riders rode exceptionally well. Glenn’s had that bit more than the rest of the field this weekend and the crash was just one of those things where the penalty didn’t fit the crime. He bounced back superbly well but Tommy kept him honest in the last race and it’s great to have another 1-2. We’re looking good in the championship table and the way things are going, it’s going to cost us a lot in win and podium bonuses this year!”
More, from a press release issued by FHO Racing BMW:
A CHALLENGING WEEKEND IN SCOTLAND FOR THE FHO RACING BMW MOTORRAD TEAM
It’s been a tough weekend for the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad team, as Faye Ho’s squad returned to its Bennetts British Superbike Championship duties, and coming to Knockhill’s 1.27-mile circuit was a stark contrast to the Isle of Man TT Races, where the team were last in action.
Even though the fourth round of the championship presented its challenges in terms of grip and set-up issues across the board for Josh Brookes and Peter Hickman, it wasn’t all bad with Brookes scoring vital points in all races.
Finishing inside the top-ten in all races aboard the BMW M 1000 RR, Brookes finished Saturday’s 20-lap Sprint Race ninth, and came home ninth and eighth in yesterday’s longer 30-lap races. With consistent point-scoring places, Brookes collected 22 points across the weekend and is still in championship contention where he’s fourth overall in the standings – 16 points shy of third place and 27 adrift of the championship leader.
For teammate Hickman, Knockhill delivered disappointment across the first two races, which saw him at the back of the field. Struggling to optimise the settings on his BMW machine, he finished the opening race of the weekend 16th and retired from Sunday’s first race.
With track temperatures high and conditions near perfect across the weekend, the final race saw temperatures drop which helped the FHO squad address the niggling grip issues they had faced. Starting from 17th on the grid, Hicky made up places across the 30 laps and came home 12th picking up four points.
The FHO Racing BMW Motorrad team now have a well-deserved break having been back-to-back with race meetings since the second round at Oulton Park with BSB, the North West 200 and the TT Races. The fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Snetterton next month across 7-8-9 July.
The weekend also saw the FHO Girls in action with two HEL Performance British Junior Supersport races, where Denise dal Zotto finished 21st and 24th, Jamie Hanks-Elliott came home 15th, just 0.275s shy of 14th in the opening race and 19th in the second race. Holly Harris finished 29th and 28th, with Scarlett Robinson coming home 30th in both races.
Josh Brookes:
“It’s been a difficult weekend to comment on really, it’s not been the results we wanted. We stayed on and finished all the races apart from a slip off this morning in warm up, so in one way we’ve got points in all three races and were in the top-ten. But it’s also been a frustrating weekend as we’ve not been able to make progress and fight for the higher places. We’ve tried to remain positive, make changes, always fighting to improve even if it’s just one sector, or one area of the bike to improve – but it just doesn’t seem to come here at Knockhill. We’ll now regroup as a team after a busy period with BSB and road racing, and we can head to Snetterton where hopefully we can look forward to some better results”
Peter Hickman:
“It’s been a super tough weekend here at Knockhill, coming from probably the biggest circuit in the world to the smallest doesn’t help. I tried 110% across the weekend, but for reasons I can’t even explain, I don’t know why, but we’ve just not had the pace right from the start. The team has worked so hard, we’ve turned the bike inside out and it’s not seemed to make any difference to the lap times. We changed things again for the last race and it actually did make an improvement where we finished 12th, the change was something we hadn’t tried before, and it did help as we went forwards for the first time rather than backwards. This weekend we’ve not finished where we want to be, or where we should be with the M 1000 RR and it’s hard to keep the morale up, but you have to keep plugging away and it’s great for the team that Josh finished inside the top-ten! Thanks to everyone for all their hard work and we’ll come back stronger at Snetterton.”
Faye Ho – Team Principal:
“It’s been a tough weekend for Josh, Pete and the team at Knockhill, but this is racing and sometimes the weekend doesn’t go as you would hope. Even though it’s not been plain sailing and we’ve not had the results we wanted, or that we know both Josh and Pete are capable of, for Josh to come away with three top-ten finishes and collect vital points is still a positive and keeps us in the championship fight. Pete and his side of the garage have tried all weekend, but he had his progress hampered until the final race.
It’s been a super busy period for everyone in the team with BSB, the North West 200 and of course the TT and I can’t thank everyone enough for all their hard work over this time. As a team we win together and we lose together, but the most important thing is that we’re all in this together and it’s how we deal with a difficult weekend that matters. Everyone has worked so hard and tried to remain upbeat and keep smiling even when times are tough. We have a few weeks now for some rest and we look forward to coming back to the fifth round refreshed and ready to get back into the mix.”
VICTORY IN SPA ENDS YART YAMAHA’S 14-YEAR WAIT FOR 24-HOUR EWC GLORY
Ace Austrian outfit tops provisional EWC standings with first 24-hour win since 2009
Reigning EWC champion team F.C.C. TSR Honda is second with Belgian BMW squad third
National Motos Honda bags Dunlop Superstock Trophy honours
YART Yamaha Official EWC moved to the top of the provisional FIM Endurance World Championship standings with victory in the 24H SPA EWC Motos today (Sunday), a result that ends the Austrian squad’s 14-year wait for a twice-around-the-clock triumph.
Despite a sluggish start for Marvin Fritz, YART Yamaha quickly kicked into gear and took the fight to its title rivals in an epic early showdown at the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
F.C.C. TSR Honda led the Spa order after eight hours, with YART repaying the compliment after 16. But while YART largely stayed out of trouble, exhaust problems forced F.C.C. TSR Honda into the pits for five minutes just after the 16-hour mark.
This costly stoppage allowed YART to steal a march, and even a damaged rear tyre just before 19 hours was swiftly changed in the pits, allowing the team to continue its victory charge for its first win over 24 hours since it triumphed at Le Mans in 2009.
A delighted Niccolò Canepa, who joined Fritz and Karel Hanika on the Bridgestone-equipped #7 bike, believes it is just the beginning for YART.
He said: “It has been a few years that we have been chasing this victory and I think it’s the first of many. We all deserve it, and I am so happy about that. Thanks to all the people involved in this project and it’s just the beginning.
“It has been an amazing race. To be honest, it was really, really tough. It was not easy from the beginning to the end. Up until the last laps, there was a question mark.
“The team did an amazing job in every pit stop and my team-mates too. We pushed from the first lap to the last one. We never stopped believing. It’s a long time since we won a 24-hour race. But in our minds, there was only one goal – to win – no matter what.”
Fritz believes the victory gives YART much more than first place in the provisional standings after a number of near misses in its quest for a 24-hour win. He said: “The championship lead is one thing; the biggest boost is the motivation for all the staff and the riders.
“We ride and push so hard at every race and then in every race, something happens at the last moment. The biggest bonus is the motivation to show YART can’t just win qualifying – we can win over 24 hours.
“I don’t know how many times we have been close. I didn’t come here with too many hopes because I know pole position never brings me luck. When we have pole position, I think ‘this is probably not a good omen.’ But finally, we took it all.”
Hanika was delighted to be part of YART’s famous victory. He said: “I am super happy with this win. It is my first 24-hour win, and the feeling is really amazing. The team did a great job. Big thanks to Yamaha, Bridgestone and to all my team-mates, all the people who are part of the team and my family.
“The first 15 hours of the race were non-stop pushing, so it was good to take some rest at the end. It was definitely a very difficult race. The competition was very strong. We couldn’t stop pushing for one lap. It was a very nice race for the spectators.”
BELGIANS WIN RACE FOR THE ROSTRUM
Belgian squad BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team took full advantage of a series of Yoshimura SERT Motul misfortunes to take third place in its home event, with the Suzuki-powered squad placed fourth.
BMW Motorrad was slowed by some mechanical issues in the first eight hours, but Yoshimura SERT Motul endured a luckless race after starting firmly in contention for the lead. Sylvain Guintoli attempted to pit at the wrong garage in the first hour. The team was then hit by a costly stop-go penalty for contact by Étienne Masson with the Holland Motorstore Racing bike in turn seven just after the five-hour mark.
The Japanese team’s misfortune continued when its bike was forced into the pits for three minutes to rectify a technical issue after six hours. Its chances of a top-three finish were then ended for good when its bike required a water pump change with three and a half hours remaining.
Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar claimed fifth place, overcoming an early crash for Kazuki Watanabe, who was taken to hospital for checks, but returned to the track to resume what was then a pretty smooth race.
Belgian outfit KM99 fought its way back into sixth after a fine night with its Yamaha, blazing from 14th place overall after eight hours to sixth spot after 16. This came after Bastian Mackels crashed at Eau Rouge in the opening hour, before his team-mate Lucas Mahias slipped off near the pit entrance at the seven-and-a-half-hour mark.
Honda Viltaïs Racing took seventh place, with Motobox Kremer Racing eighth, MANA-AU Competition ninth and TATI Team Beringer Racing taking the 10th and final scoring position in a race hit by light rain in the closing stages.
ERC Endurance Ducati was unable to follow up its fourth place at the EWC opener in Le Mans, retiring after nearly four hours. Wójcik Racing Team EWC followed suit after seven and a half hours, with Team Bolliger Switzerland forced out when its bike was beached in the gravel after 18 hours.
NATIONAL MOTOS HONDA SEALS SUPERSTOCK TRIUMPH
National Motos Honda revived its FIM Endurance World Cup title hopes after topping the podium in the Dunlop Superstock Trophy category.
The French team, a Honda motorcycle dealership and an EWC stalwart entrant, moved up to third place in the standings with victory in Belgium, as Team 33 Louit April Moto took second following a close battle.
Honda No Limits, fourth in the Le Mans season opener, took third to climb to second in the provisional title order, finishing three laps behind the winners and edging out Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda, the new points leader, for the last podium spot.
National Motos’ Sébastian Suchet was elated with a hard-fought victory. He said: “It’s a very different circuit from what we’re used to, but the real challenge of this race was our competitors. They didn’t give up on us the whole race.
“We gained tenths and seconds here and there to achieve this result. We had no room for error, but we did what was necessary. We had instructions that were clear, and it paid off.
“Throughout the race, we were often first, but sometimes second or third and all the time you could throw a handkerchief over us and our competitors.
“You feel fatigue less when you win. I am very happy for the team and for everyone. We’ve been chasing this victory for a while. We had to do everything well but sometimes things don’t go as planned. This time we managed to do everything from start to finish, so I am happy for everyone.”
FIGHTING FOR SUPERSTOCK SUPREMACY
National Motos Honda was deadlocked in a tense fight for supremacy with RAC41 during the night. But disaster struck for the latter team after 16 and a half hours, when Chris Leesch crashed, forcing the team to pit for repairs.
It did enough to salvage fourth place, overcoming more mechanical drama in the closing hour of the race to get back on track and top the overall standings on 85 points – six ahead of the Honda No Limits team, which has 79.
TRT27 Bazar 2 La Bécane took fifth spot in Spa, with Slider Endurance placed sixth ahead of BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers in seventh.
Wójcik Racing Team STK was eighth after being forced into the pits just before the 16-hour mark with mechanical problems, before Kamil Krzemień crashed shortly afterwards.
JMA Racing Action Bike was ninth and Holland Motorstore Racing rounded off the Superstock point scorers in 10th spot.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The EWC heads from Belgium to Japan for the 44th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race from 4-6 August.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Yamalube YART Yamaha Storm to Sensational Spa Victory
Yamalube YART Yamaha (7) en route to victory at Spa. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team produced an incredible performance at the 24H Spa EWC Motos to claim a stunning victory in Belgium and take the overall lead in the FIM Endurance World Championship standings.
The second edition of the 24H SPA EWC Motos showcased exactly why endurance racing returned to the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in 2022 after a 20-year hiatus. It contained everything, thrilling on-track battles, numerous safety cars, and even the threat of rain towards the end of the race. Despite all of this, nothing could stop the YART Yamaha team and riders Niccolò Canepa, Karel Hanika, and Marvin Fritz as they secured their first FIM EWC victory since the 12 Hours of Estoril in 2020 and their first 24-hour race win for 14 years.
A dominant showing in Friday’s qualifying saw the team secure pole position by 0.959s, with all three YART riders lapping within 0.198s of each other. On top of their stunning one-lap pace, the Austrian squad had spent much of the week focusing on race setup with the Bridgestone-shod #7 R1, so confidence was flowing within the team heading into Saturday’s race.
Fritz took the first stint from pole following the traditional “Le Mans” running start, but a slight wheelie off the line meant he entered Turn 1 down in 10th. The German composed himself superbly before fighting his way back through the field and becoming involved in an epic three-way battle for the lead. After exchanging a few spectacular overtaking manoeuvres, he took over at the front and handed the YART R1 to Hanika for the second stint.
Hanika hit the ground running, but almost immediately, out came the first of many safety cars. Once racing had resumed, the Czech rider took the lead and opened up an advantage of two seconds before heading into the pits and giving the bike to Canepa for his first stint.
The Italian gave it full gas and opened up a 22s lead with a string of low to mid 2:22 laps, but just before the two-hour mark, another safety car, this time for oil on the track, would mean that his rivals would be able to close up. After a delay of over 35 minutes, the race was back on, and Canepa again broke away to establish a 12.5s gap at the front before handing the bike back to Fritz.
The next few stints became frustrating for the team, as they repeatedly fought hard to open up an advantage, only to see it effectively wiped out again by a series of safety cars. Due to this, none of the front three teams could break away, with the close racing continuing to the 8-hour mark, when YART collected nine EWC points for being in second.
As the night went on, each YART rider showed astonishing pace and consistency, highlighted by Canepa setting the team’s fastest lap at 3 am local time, a 2:21.015. Their efforts were rewarded with the lead after 15 hours of racing, and as dawn broke in Spa, they started to extend their advantage at the front.
At the 16-hour mark, YART’s lead was up to 14s, ensuring they secured 10 more vital championship points. The team continued to be faultless, maintaining their pace as their rivals lost time due to technical issues, and an hour later, they had opened a two-lap gap at the front, although there was drama on the way.
Approaching 19 hours into the race, Fritz had only completed a few laps of his stint when he suffered damage to his rear tyre that caused a puncture. Somehow, he managed to bring the R1 back to the box, with the team doing a brilliant job of turning around a quick pit stop and getting Fritz back out on track while still leading by a lap.
From here on in, the whole YART Yamaha team pulled together to ensure there were no mistakes, with all three riders remaining focused and controlling the gap at the front, although there was still a surprise in store as rain flags appeared with just over one hour to go.
Despite spots of rain on his visor, Hanika used his experience and took no unnecessary risks to ensure he handed over to Canepa for the final stint with the team’s one-lap advantage over the bike in second place intact.
The Italian showed nerves of steel. Unfazed by the weather, his pace was unrelenting, and he extended the lead even more during the last hour before stopping for a quick splash and dash with 15 minutes to go.
As the race clock hit 24 hours, Canepa brought the YART R1 across the line for the last time to secure first position and the team’s first 24-hour race victory since Le Mans in 2009 after completing 572 laps, one more than their nearest rival.
YART’s victory saw them collect another 40 points, which, when added to the five they secured for pole and the 19 they received for their positions at the eight and 16-hour marks, respectively, meant they amassed 64 of the 65 points on offer in Belgium, and now lead the overall FIM EWC standings with 118 points.
The Belgian-based KM Motos team of Lucas Mahias, Florian Marino, and Bastian Mackels made it two R1s in the top six after they put in a strong showing at their home race to complete 561 laps, while Maco Racing Team’s Balint Kovacs, Enzo Boulom, and Martin Vugrinec finished in 19th (504 laps).
The Moto Ain Yamaha EWC Supported Team of Corentin Perolari, Roberto Tamburini, and Alessandro Polita completed 472 laps to secure 21st, while unfortunately, Wojcik Racing Team EWC 77’s Sheridan Morais, Isaac Vinales, and Mathieu Gines were forced to withdraw from the race after 149 laps.
Next up on the FIM EWC calendar is Round 3, the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan, on the 4th-6th of August, before the season’s final race, the Bol d’Or in France, on the 14th-17th of September.
Niccolò Canepa – P1 – 572 laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It has been a few years that we have been chasing this victory, and I think it’s the first of many. We all deserve it, and I am so happy about that. Thanks to all the people involved in this project. It is just the beginning. It was an amazing race. To be honest, it was tough from the beginning to the end. Up until the last laps, there was a question mark. The team did an amazing job during every pit stop, and my teammates were incredibly quick. We pushed from the first lap to the last one. We never stopped believing. It’s a long time since we won a 24-hour race. But in our minds, there was only one goal – to win – no matter what.”
Karel Hanika – P1 – 572 laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“I am super happy with this win. It is my first 24-hour victory, and the feeling is really amazing. The team did a great job. Huge thanks to Yamaha, Bridgestone, my teammates, everyone who is a part of the team, and my family. The first 15 hours of the race were non-stop pushing, so it was good to be able to control the pace at the end. It was definitely a tough race. The competition was very strong. We couldn’t stop pushing for one lap. It was a very nice race for the spectators, especially at the start, with some excellent battles, but we managed to come out on top, and that is all that matters.”
Marvin Fritz – P1 – 572 laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“The championship lead is one thing; the biggest boost is the motivation for all the staff and the riders. We ride and push so hard at every race, and then something always seems to happen at the last moment. It’s also great to show everyone that YART isn’t just the fastest in qualifying; we can win over 24 hours. I don’t know how many times we have been close. I didn’t come here with too many hopes because I know pole position never brings me luck. When we have pole position, I think, ‘This is probably not a good omen.’ But finally, we took it all, and I could not be happier for the whole team.”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – Team Manager
“I am almost lost for words. We have been close several times, but luck has not been on our side; therefore, taking this 24-hour race victory means so much to the whole team. No matter what happened, we never gave up believing. The team worked hard to prepare for the race all week, and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts. Everything came together, and all three riders were sensational, pushing to the maximum every lap to bring home the win. I am so proud of everyone. A big thank you to everyone from Yamaha, Bridgestone, and each member of the team…we did it!”
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
24H SPA EWC Motos: Another podium for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team at its home race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Markus Reiterberger, Ilya Mikhalchik and Jérémy Guarnoni finish third on the #37 BMW M 1000 RR in the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Second podium in two races in the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship. Superstock pole for the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team goes unrewarded.
Ilya Mikhalchik (37) helped BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team finish third overall at Spa. Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Spa-Francorchamps. The tension within the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team finally evaporated after 24 intensive hours of racing at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (BEL); Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) again finished on the podium with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR at round two of the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC), the 24H SPA EWC Motos. They produced a flawless performance to come home third at the home race for Werner Daemen (BEL) and his team. The trio had previously finished third at the opening race weekend in Le Mans (FRA). This season’s results make for happy reading so far; two races, two podium celebrations. The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team also lies third in the Team world championship standings, 33 points behind the leaders.
The second qualifying session on Friday confirmed that the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team would again be among the top teams at Spa-Francorchamps, having taken victory there last year. The #37 BMW M 1000 RR secured second place on the grid.
On several occasions during the early stages of the race, Reiterberger, Mikhalchik and Guarnoni were unfortunate with safety car phases that cost them a lot of time after their pit stops. The result was that the trio dropped back down the field each time – once as far as 19th. However, Reiterberger, Mikhalchik and Guarnoni repeatedly worked their way back through the field, one position at a time.
By the eighth hour of the race, Reiterberger, Mikhalchik and Guarnoni had climbed as high as fourth place. They maintained that position through the night, thanks to consistently good lap times, efficient fuel consumption, flawless work from the riders and team, and a bike that was running smoothly – always poised to snatch a spot on the podium.
That opportunity came with three and a half hours remaining, when the #37 Suzuki team ahead of them encountered technical issues and dropped back. Reiterberger inherited third place, which he, Mikhalchik and Guarnoni comfortably maintained through to the finish. Even the onset of rain in the closing stages could not prevent them from claiming their second podium finish of the season.
Fresh from their debut victory in the Superstock class at the season-opener in Le Mans, the new Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team again made a strong start to the race weekend. The team, making its first appearance at Spa-Francorchamps, set the pace in the Superstock class with the #9 BMW M 1000 RR. By the end of qualifying, Kenny Foray (FRA), Jan Bühn (GER) and Loïc Arbel (FRA) had secured pole position in their category. At the start of the race, Foray was able to match the pace of the EWC teams. However, the first setback was just around the corner. Foray was forced into the garage by a technical issue. The mechanics gave it their all and, after several hours of repair work, the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team was able to re-join the race in the evening. However, they ultimately had to retire the bike during the night.
The private BMW Team LRP Poland lined up at Spa-Francorchamps with the #90 BMW S 1000 RR. Julian Puffe (GER), Dominik Vincon (GER) and Pepijn Bijsterbosch (NED) were running in the top ten at times but struggled with various issues at several points of the race. After 24 hours of racing, Vincon pushed the bike to the finish line to the cheers of the spectators in the grandstand. However, in the provisional results list, the team is classed as non-classified.
Round three of the 2023 FIM EWC season, the 8 Hours of Suzuka (JPN), takes place on 6th August.
Quotes after the 24H SPA EWC Motos.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “We are very happy with third place. At the beginning of the race, there were unfortunate situations with the safety car periods, which caused us to lose several positions without having any influence on it. But the team fought back every time, and we deserve this third place. All three riders and the pit crew did an outstanding job, and the motorcycle ran almost like a clockwork. We only had to change the exhaustonce, and the team did it super quickly and precisely. Towards the end, the conditions became very tricky with the onset of rain, and we handled that superbly as well. We celebrate this result; we gladly take it home. It was also important that we solidified our third place in the championship. Now, our entire focus is on the next race in Suzuka. However, there is also some homework that we need to complete to reach the top because we weren’t fast enough for that today. At the same time, it’s a pity that the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team couldn’t bring their excellent performance to the finish due to a technical problem. But the team worked well and tried to fix the problem. They were able to return to the track and set very strong lap times, but unfortunately, the problem recurred.”
Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “It has been a very hectic race, for me and the entire team. In the beginning, we were unlucky with the Safety Car periods three times. We also struggled a bit when it was warmer as we didn’t have the right set-up for the bike. But once it cooled down a bit, I think we were one of the best teams. The riders did an incredible job again, the mechanics made no mistakes and when you have these ingredients, the podium is always possible. We were lucky that some other brands had technical problems. I have to say thank you to BMW that gave us a bike, as they did at Le Mans, that didn’t have any problem over the 24 hours. Now, we are third in the championship, and everything is open. Next up for us is the Japan pre-test and we are well prepared. There we need another strong result to be ready for the finale at Le Castellet, where we can achieve a podium or more.”
Markus Reiterberger: “After securing second place in qualifying, we were confident for the race. My start was great, and in the early laps, I was able to maintain second place. However, I struggled with grip in the high temperatures, so played it safe, and handed over the bike in fourth position. Unfortunately, in the early stages, we had the misfortune of doing three pit stops during the Safety Car period and had wait at the pit exit which caused us to lose a lot of time. However, we were able to complete the entire race without any mistakes, all three of us gave our maximum, and at times, we were the fastest on track. However, the gap to the front was significant, and the top three were so fast that it was difficult to catch them. But we remained error-free until the end and were able to secure third place. Thanks to the team, to everyone who cheered us on. It was a tough, long race, but we are all happy that we could finish it on the podium.”
Ilya Mikhalchik: “We are obviously very happy. Our speed during the race was faster than we expected. A few times, we had bad luck with the pit lane exit during a Safety Car and lost time but overall, we didn’t make any mistakes and everyone in the team did a great job. Now we focus on Japan and our goal is to finish there in a good position.”
Jérémy Guarnoni: “We are happy of course, it’s another podium, the second in a row after Le Mans. Naturally, we always want to win but this time we were clearly not lucky with the Safety Car and lost a lot of time, maybe two laps. As a result, we lost contact with the riders in front, so it was more difficult for us to fight with them. But it’s a good result for the team and for the championship. I am very pleased with the job everyone did, the mechanics, the team, and my really fast team-mates.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Another podium for F.C.C. TSR Honda France and victory for National Motos Honda in Superstock
Stunning performance from all five Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP in the 24H SPA EWC Motos
F.C.C. TSR Honda France clinched a second podium at the Belgium track, and after the win in the Le Mans season opener, the Honda #1 is determined to fight to renew the championship title.
Starting from fourth place on the grid, Josh Hook made a great start, immediately joining the front group and battling for first place during the first hours of the race.
Honda’s endurance specialists put in a series of fast stints without any single mistake in the race and constant lap times. However, entering the last quarter of the race, a technical issue surrounding the exhaust, forced the Honda #1 to enter the pits for five minutes and rejoin into third place.
Despite a few drops of rain at the end of the race, Honda’s endurance specialists did not let up in their efforts and claimed another podium finish after two clocked laps of the fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France is second in the standings after collecting 54 points, with a total of 117, just one point behind the leader. The next round will be held from August 4 to 6 at the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan.
National Motos Honda took an incredible and well-deserved win, leading the race from the first quarter of the race. The Honda #55, with very consistent and solid laps, and no mistakes, took the victory that places them third in the standings..
Honda No Limits repeated the third-place podium as in Le Mans after starting the race from ninth place in the Superstock category.
Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda was in second place most of the race, fighting for the lead during some hours. Chris Leesch had a crash early in the morning on a tricky, moistened track that forced him to enter the pits and rejoin in fourth place. Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda missed out the podium again as happened in Le Mans, but collected very valuable points that place the Fireblade #44 in the front of the Superstock standings.
Honda Viltaïs Racing was qualified in fifth position on the grid, and with a very good pace, the Fireblade #333 was placed in fourth position until the eight hours of racing. Some technical problems with the oil filter and the petrol pump forced the French team to enter the pits and rejoin the race in the 20th position.
Following the fighting spirit and outstanding performance of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, the team had an incredible comeback, crossing the finish line in 10th place overall (7th in the EWC class) that places the team 5th in the championship.
Josh Hook 1
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
We had an excellent start to the race with some good battles and some fast stints. Unfortunately, we had a technical issue surrounding the exhaust, but we can be satisfied with the weekend. Everyone did a great job to help us gain as many points as possible for the championship.
Mike Di Meglio 1
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
It’s a good result for the championship. The race was great because we were fighting for victory for a long time with some very tight gaps. We had a little problem in the morning, so in the end it was good to get 2nd place. A 24-hour race is always difficult. My team-mates were fast and the team also worked well. At Suzuka, with a fast bike, we can hope for a good result to keep fighting for the title.
Alan Techer 1
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
We had a good race. We knew we had the pace to fight at the front. And even though we were a little slower than the leader, we had one less pit stop, so anything was possible. But endurance is unpredictable. We showed that we are fast and that the bike and tyres work well. By finishing 2nd we’ve taken some big points for the championship, even if we’ve lost the lead by one point. I enjoyed the bike throughout the race, so I’m looking forward to Suzuka!
More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura SERT Motul:
YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL TAKES VITAL POINTS FROM 24-HOUR RACE AT SPA
Yoshimura SERT Motul finished in fourth place at the second round of the FIM Endurance World Championship held over the weekend of the 17th and 18th June at the EWC 24 Heures Spa Motos. The team also moved up to fourth overall in the championship standings.
The legendary 6.985km Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium, the longest circuit of the Endurance World Championship, is world renowned for being demanding on both team crew and riders. It tested Yoshimura SERT Motul all the way to the final hour.
Yoshimura SERT Motul started the second edition of the Spa EWC Motos from third place on the grid after a set of solid qualifying sessions. The riders took to the track, for the unique Le Mans start, in bright sunshine and high temperatures on a circuit that is very tough.
Gregg Black, once again, proved himself to be the start specialist by taking the holeshot, leading into the first corner. The high-performance of the team’s Suzuki GSX-R1000R provided the riders with the confidence required to attack and control the early stages of the race, dominating its rivals.
The safety car was often brought out and luck (good and bad) played a part with pit-in timing. The team continually swapped places with the Yamaha and Honda teams, putting in fast and consistent stints. However, just after five hours, when the top three teams including Yoshimura SERT Motul were battling within a second of each other, the team was given a stop-and-go penalty for touching a slower rider and causing him to crash. A part of the on-board camera fell off as a result of the contact and the team was instructed by Race Control to remove the kit. This work caused a problem which required repair work to be carried out in the pits and the team lost a lap which placed them a lap down from the leader.
To close the gap on the leader, the three riders rode hard, and team crew carried out fast and reliable pit work. When the sun went down, Yoshimura SERT Motul proved its strength and continued to put pressure on its rivals. Sylvain Guintoli posted a super-fast lap record time of 2.20.578 on lap 164, which became the fastest lap of the event.
Mid-morning on Sunday while still battling for victory, Yoshimura SERT Motul experienced an issue with an engine auxiliary item which required crew intervention. The team was relegated to fourth place.
They returned to the race five laps down and each rider gave it everything they had but, it was a gap they were unable to close. In the final hours, rain dropped over a few areas of the track and Etienne Masson put in a valiant performance to take the team to fourth across the finish line.
At the end of a race highlighted by several twists and turns, the Franco-Japanese team didn’t give up and finished just off the podium, in fourth position. The team now has 66 points after a difficult race, which puts it in fourth place in the FIM EWC championship.
Yohei KATO – team director
“It wasn’t the result we’d hoped for. We had two main problems, the first when the onboard camera needed to be removed and then, when we were in second place and closing on the leader, an issue with an engine auxiliary item. I’m sorry for everyone who works with us and supports us. The riders and the bike performed well during the race. We’re now going to do everything we can to win at Suzuka and the Bol d’Or!”
Damien SAULNIER – team manager
“It’s hard to fall short of getting on the podium after all that effort. We had a great week here in Spa and we were very well prepared for the race. The team did a good job, the collaboration with the Japanese worked very well and the tires performed well also. But in endurance racing, you sometimes need a bit of luck, and we didn’t have any. And as it was also the case at Le Mans this year, I hope that bad luck will change sides next time! The team is looking forward to getting back the results it deserves.”
Gregg BLACK – rider
“This was the race for us not to miss. I’m obviously disappointed with our result because we were really well prepared. We took a good start and managed to set the pace when we needed to in order to fight with the leaders. Despite a few small problems and a stop-and-go penalty that was really unfortunate, we were still in with a chance of winning because the whole team did a great job. But a problem in the final hours stopped us in our tracks. We missed the podium and now things are more complicated for the championship.”
Sylvain GUINTOLI – rider
“Of course, we’d come here to do a lot better than that. Unfortunately, we had a few problems during the race. It’s a shame because we gave it our all. Personally, I feel completely drained after this race. But the result isn’t there. It’s a shame. There are still two races to go, so there’s still hope. We just need luck to be on our side at last.”
Etienne MASSON – rider
“I’m frustrated because we were really on the pace here. We gave it our all but, in the end, our efforts weren’t rewarded. We made too many little mistakes; the problem caused by removing the onboard camera, and the penalty, should have been avoided. It cost us a lot in the end. After that, my team-mates and I did everything we could to come back and put pressure on our rivals, but it wasn’t enough. It’s a shame because everyone deserved a better result. We miss winning and we’re starting to feel the clock is ticking!”
To the WIRE! Just 0.064s decides Martin vs Bagnaia at the Sachsenring
One of the closest ever German GP finishes sees the number 89 take his first GP win since 2021, with Pecco just inches behind and Zarco completing the podium as Binder crashes out
Jorge Martin (89) held off Francesco Bagnaia (1) to win in Germany. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 18 June 2023
What do you get when you add the two riders at the top of the standings to a record crowd at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland? One hell of a show! In one of the closest ever finishes at the Sachsenring, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) came out on top against reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in a duel that went right to the wire, ultimately decided by just 0.064 seconds as the two crossed the line almost in tandem. It’s Martin’s first win since Styria 2021 and consolidates his second place in the standings, now just 16 behind Bagnaia, and it’s the first time the number 89 has done the double – Tissot Sprint and GP win – and taken three GP podiums in a row.
Taking three Grand Prix rostrums in a row for the first time is now also true for Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) as the Frenchman completed the podium following a crash for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and that shuffles the standings yet further. So where do we start…
The first place to start is Warm Up, as eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) suffered another big crash and, although declared fit, decided to sit out the Grand Prix race after a difficult weekend. That left Bagnaia heading a grid that didn’t contain the 11-time winner… but there was one thing, at least, that remained increasingly predictable: Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took the holeshot.
Behind the Australian, Bagnaia and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) slotted into P2 and P3, at least until Turn 11 the Australian had a huge moment on the rear as they flicked it onto the cold side of the tyre. That allowed Bagnaia, Martin AND Marini to carve past.
Lap 3, Turn 12 – a change of the lead. Martin pounced on Pecco and with it, the Sprint victor set the fastest lap of the race. Just behind, Miller was holding teammate Binder at bay, with the latter enjoying a mini battle with the fast-starting, soft rear tyre-running Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing). But Binder grabbed P4 off Miller at the end of Lap 4 and set his sights on the top three, with Martin quickly building a 0.7s lead at the front.
Zarco was soon past Miller too – the same place he dispatched Binder at in the Sprint, Turn 11, this time with a little more space – and on Lap 7 the Frenchman set the fastest lap of the race too. Soon, Martin’s gap was down to 0.5s with the top five just two seconds apart. Lap 10 saw Binder pounce past Marini for P3 too, and soon Zarco was also past the Italian. By then, the gap between Binder and Bagnaia was up to 1.7s as the top five began to spread out.. and the top two to get closer together.
Martin and Bagnaia looked like they were out of reach for the chasing pack. Binder was 2.9s adrift with 17 laps to go, and Bagnaia starting to put pressure on the shoulders of Martin. With 12 to go, it looked like Martin was starting to respond though. Bagnaia had been right on Martin’s coattails but the gap edged back to half a second.
In the podium battle, drama then unfolded. Binder lost the rear heading into Turn 8 and that forced him to run wide and into the gravel, and the South African crashed out of third. That promoted Zarco to P3, and the Frenchman had some breathing space as Marini had teammate Marco Bezzecchi to contend with in a VR46-friendly fire duel.
Did the decisive moment of the Grand Prix come with 10 laps to go? Bagnaia decided it was time to take the lead at Turn 12, and did so, but how would Martin respond? If Bagnaia had been planning to put the hammer down and thought he could escape, after two laps that plan was gone as the #1 couldn’t shake off the #89. Then, at the same corner with six to go, Martin returned the favour. The top two in the title chase were embroiled in a fascinating fight in the Ring, now it was Bagnaia’s turn to show what punches he had left.
Two more tense laps later and it remained as you were, but close as ever with Martin leading Bagnaia by 0.2s. On Lap 27 of 30, it literally couldn’t get any closer between the pair at points on the track. Martin defended well down the hill to not allow Bagnaia through into Turn 12, and as they entered Lap 28 they were absolutely locked together.
Penultimate lap time. Martin vs Bagnaia. A King of the Ring crown up for grabs. Martin went defensive into Turn 1 as Bagnaia nearly ran into the back of Martin at Turn 3, with millimetres in it. And round the final corner for the penultimate time, those millimetres evaporated. Contact! Bagnaia tagged the back of the Pramac ahead, with no harm done but some metres lost for the reigning Champion. The race was really, really on now.
By halfway around the lap, the impossible looked plausible once more as Bagnaia got within 0.3. The climb up the hill was crucial but the #1 wasn’t close enough into Turn 12. And so, just 80 seconds after the contact last time around, it was down to Turn 13. Martin went defensive. Bagnaia opted for a wider, sweeping line up the hill. For the final time, it was Martin vs Bagnaia on the run to the line.
Martin edged it by a slender 0.064s as a wonderful battle lit up the Sachsenring, with the Spaniard cutting Bagnaia’s title advantage to 16 points. It’s the closest finish at the track since the 0.060 margin in 2003.
6.9s away from the victory scrap, Zarco claimed P3 for the third race in succession, and the #5 nearly crashed at Turn 1 on the final lap, too, pushing for his best run of rostrums.
The battles through the pack
Bezzecchi picked his way through the pack to a solid P4 after a tricky weekend, the Italian finishing 3.4s ahead of teammate Marini after the two went head-to-head earlier in the race. Miller was 0.2s him to finish P6, as Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) rounded out the top 10, the ortuguese
P11 went the way of Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) who finished ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ duo Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo, all three of whom remain the only three riders to score in every GP race so far this season. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) picked up the final points in P14 and P15.
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was forced to retire after his RS-GP encountered an issue in the early stages of the Grand Prix, and teammate Aleix Espargaro faded to 17 after struggling for grip late on.
So that’s that. An instant classic and a maximum of 37 points means it’s a perfect weekend for Martin in Germany, and it also means the title picture changes ahead of a trip to The Cathedral of Speed: Assen. 16 points split leader Pecco to Martin as we head to the always-fantastic Dutch TT. Buckle up!
QUOTES: THE DUELLING DUO
JORGE MARTIN: “I’m so emotional at the moment. After almost two years fighting for it, finally it came. It was a tough race. Pecco was pushing so hard. I had some issues in the middle of the race with the rear tyre, so I just tried to manage it. To be in front was my target. Even when he passed me, I tried to stay in front. In the last two laps, I was just trying to push to the maximum. I thought Pecco had something else but maybe I saved the tyre a little bit more at the beginning of the race. I’m super happy. I’m focused on the next one, this is hopefully the first step. We are getting closer and this is the main thing. Thank you to my people and family who supported me last season. We are ready for everything.”
PECCO BAGNAIA: “Jorge was really strong today. I tried. We improved compared to yesterday, we were competitive in the last laps. I was gaining and gaining but it wasn’t enough to be in front. I tried on the second last lap to go but I touched him. It was a bit on the limit to recover and he was too far away. I’m happy with second position. I gave my maximum. Let’s move on to Assen.”
The crowd at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
2023 German GP sets attendance records
The 2023 Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland will go down in history not only for the incredible battles on track, but also the incredible attendance. 233,196 fans flooded through the gates during the weekend, and nearly 100,000 attended on Sunday alone. That’s the biggest crowd MotoGP™ has ever welcomed at the Sachsenring… and it makes it the best-attended sporting event in Germany!
Pedro Acosta (37). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Acosta unstoppable at the Sachsenring, Arbolino just holds off Dixon for second
The winning form continues, but so does the points advantage for Arbolino as the duel rolls on to Assen
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claimed a stunning victory at the Sachsenring to close the gap in the Championship standings at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Key rival and World Championship leader Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was forced to settle for second but the Italian limited the damage by fending off Jake Dixon (Polarcube GASGAS Aspar Team) as the Brit hunted down Arbolino in the second half of the 25-lap encounter.
Arbolino got the holeshot at the start but his lead did not last long as Acosta responded on the opening lap at Turn 12. The pair then immediately broke away from the chasing pack but were rarely separated by more than a few tenths in the first three laps. However, a series of fastest laps by Acosta, in the 1:23s, allowed him to pull out a half-a-second gap over his title rival by the end of Lap 4. By Lap 6, the gap between Acosta and Arbolino was over a second for the first time and the Spaniard’s pace showed no signs of letting up.
While Acosta checked out at the front with a 2.6s gap at the halfway stage, Arbolino had to start looking over his shoulder as Dixon charged towards him. The Brit reduced the gap to under a second on Lap 14 as he set his sights on second place after having to battle back from fifth after losing out in the early stages.
Having started from third, Dixon found himself behind Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) and Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors SpeedUp) on Lap 2. He re-passed Lopez for fourth on Lap 3 before being promoted back to the podium places on Lap 6 when Canet crashed at Turn 13, rider ok.
Dixon was able to catch the World Championship leader but Arbolino started to extend the gap over the Brit during the final five laps. Dixon responded on Lap 22, however, and it was back down to just a few tenths. The battle raged on during the final lap but Arbolino was able to hold on over the line, taking second and those 20 points by only 0.095. Dixon narrowly missed out on second but still claimed another podium in Germany as he hunts a better finish than P3.
Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) claimed a somewhat lonely fourth place for his best result of the season. The Thai rider was six seconds away from the podium, but he was also three seconds clear of the group behind him. That group was led by Lopez who finished fifth as he pulled out a gap of over a second on Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 MasterCamp) in sixth. Gonzalez started from 12th but repeated his strong showing from Friday to secure a top-six finish.
Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was part of the battle for fifth place but he had to settle for seventh, ahead of Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors SpeedUp) in eighth. Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took ninth and Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) rounded out the top ten, but it could have been different after the trio had a fierce fight in the closing stages.
Aldeguer moved into eighth when he went up the inside of Arenas at Turn 1 on Lap 19, before Vietti followed him through in the first sector to demote Arenas to tenth. However, Arenas and Vietti switched positions again to give the Spaniard ninth.
Moto2™ is back in just one week as the MotoGP™ paddock heads from Germany to the Netherlands! Make sure to join us for more action from the iconic TT Circuit Assen next weekend.
Deniz Oncu (53) leading Ayumu Sasaki (71). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Öncü takes maiden win with a last corner dive on Sasaki
It went to the wire as the two disappeared for a race-long chess match, with another duel deciding the podium as Holgado holds off Ortola
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is now a Grand Prix winner! The Turk has been close before but the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland finally saw him take to the top step and in some style after a last lap, last corner dive up the inside on race-long leader Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). Sasaki was forced to settle for second but put in another stellar podium for another podium, with a duel also deciding third as Dani Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) held off Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team).
Sasaki didn’t get the best launch as rookie teammate Collin Veijer shot off the line, but the number 71 was soon through into the lead despite the best efforts of an aggressive Öncü. As the first few laps ticked down, the Japanese rider, who was more than a second clear in qualifying, started to make a gap at the front too, leaving Öncü vs Holgado vs Ortola as the fight for the rest of the podium places.
Lap by lap, however, Öncü was able to pull away from the fight and start to home in on Sasaki. And so it became a duel, and a chess match to the finish. Massaging his cramping leg as Öncü tucked in behind the Husqvarna and then closing back in for the last lap, everyone – including Sasaki – knew it was coming. But when? It went right down to the final corner as the Turkish rider dived up the inside and somehow got it stopped, able to pin it to the line and take his first Grand Prix win after getting so, so close on a good few occasions.
Sasaki was forced to settle for second after a race-long stint at the front, with the duel for third also going to the wire. In the end, Holgado had just enough to hold off Ortola, the Championship leader increasing that lead once again after nearly the whole race spent looking in his metaphorical mirrors.
Behind the fight right at the front, it was a group battle to the line and rookie David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) came out on top. Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) took sixth ahead of Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team), with Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) taking his first top ten in P10. Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) is classified P11 after a one-position penalty for exceeding track limits on the last lap.
David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) sliced up to P12 despite his back of the grid and Long Lap penalty, finishing a little distance ahead of a group comprising Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Kaito Toba (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Andrea Migno (CIP Green Power) as they completed the points.
There was early heartbreak for Veijer he crashed out early on despite that great start, and Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) also crashed out of top ten contention in the latter stages.
That’s it from the Sachsenring and we have a new Grand Prix winner! Come back for more Moto3™ in just a few days’ time as the iconic TT Circuit Assen welcomes us to the Netherlands next weekend.
TAYLOR KNAPP TO RACE FOR TEAM HAMMER AND SUZUKI AT RIDGE MOTORSPORTS PARK
Team Hammer is pleased to announce that Taylor Knapp will compete for the team aboard a Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000R at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington, on June 23-25.
Knapp will serve as a single-round guest rider aboard the factory Superbike that was unexpectedly in need of a capable pilot following the surprise retirement of former class champion Toni Elias following the Road America round.
Knapp is well suited to the role. He is one of the most experienced and versatile riders in the paddock, boasting a racing resume that spans disciplines, classes, nations, and manufacturers.
The 35-year-old Lapeer, Michigan native began racing flat track and motocross at the age of five and established himself as one of the nation’s leading amateur riders. He transitioned to pavement at 13 and turned pro at 16.
Over the past two decades, Knapp has enjoyed a decorated and varied road racing career, running up front as both a privateer and factory Superbike pilot. In addition to his premier class duties, Knapp has raced in Daytona SportBike, Stock 1000, and the King Of The Baggers over the years, while also competing overseas in the British Superbike series.
Additionally, he’s racked up numerous other racing accomplishments and accolades, including victorious performances at the Barber Pro Cup Challenge and WERA F1 National Championship.
Since 2017, Knapp has served as a Motorcycle Test Engineer for Dunlop Motorcycle Tires. He has continued to compete since accepting the position, and currently ranks sixth in the 2023 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 championship standings with a podium result at Road Atlanta.
“I am super excited to get on the Suzuki GSX-R1000R again. I’ve raced Suzukis in the past and always liked them and have had good success with them,” said Knapp. “It’s an honor to race for Team Hammer and Suzuki, so I am pumped. As Dunlop’s test rider, we have a couple of Suzuki 1000s that serve as our workhorses, so I ride them often. The weekend should be fun!”
ABOUT TEAM HAMMER
The 2023 season marks Team Hammer’s 43rd consecutive year of operating as a professional road racing team. Racebikes built and fielded by Team Hammer have won 129 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National races, have finished on AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National podiums 347 times and have won 11 AMA Pro and MotoAmerica National Championships, as well as two FIM South American Championships (in Superbike and Supersport). The team has also won 137 endurance races overall (including seven 24-hour races) and 13 Overall WERA National Endurance Championships with Suzuki motorcycles, and holds the U.S. record for mileage covered in a 24-hour race. The team also competed in the televised 1990s Formula USA National Championship, famously running “Methanol Monster” GSX-R1100 Superbikes fueled by methanol, and won four F-USA Championships.
ABOUT VISION WHEEL
Founded in 1976, Vision Wheel is one of the nation’s leading providers of custom wheels for cars and trucks, and one of the first manufacturers of custom wheels and tires for ATVs, UTVs, and golf carts. Vision Wheel looks beyond the current trends and to the future in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its wheels. Vision’s lines of street, race, off-road, American Muscle, and Milanni wheels are distributed nationally and internationally through a trusted network of distributors. Vision Wheel also produces the Vision It AR app to allow users to see how their wheel of choice will look on their vehicle before purchase and installation. For more information on Vision Wheel, visit www.visionwheel.com.
ABOUT SUZUKI
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
Brandon Paasch on pit lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway waiting for a restart of the 100th Loudon Classic. Photo by Frank Angel, courtesy Rodio Racing.
Brandon Paasch Finishes 4th in the 100th Loudon Classic
Loudon, NH. – Competing in his first professional road race since sustaining a compression fracture of his L3 vertebrae in a training accident on March 30, 2023, Brandon Paasch placed fourth in a crash-riddled 100th Loudon Classic presented by NEMMR. The race was restarted multiple times in wet conditions then eventually called complete after the ninth restart. Paasch was awarded the position he was running in on lap 19 of the race.
Riding a Yamaha YZF-R6 on Pirelli tires prepared by Rodio Racing, Brandon placed 21st fastest in the Friday morning practice on a dry track about four seconds behind the fastest time. In the first qualifying session on Friday afternoon he was able to advance to 11th place with a time of 1:11.736, 1.062 seconds off the top qualifier. After overnight rain, in final qualifying on Saturday Paasch recorded the ninth-fastest time on a wet track, placing him 11th on the grid for the race among the final 32 qualifiers.
Saturday afternoon’s race started in wet conditions with occasional light rain with the race interrupted multiple times by red flags due to crashes. On each restart Brandon was able to advance through the field, even leading the race by a comfortable margin at one point. Although the race was scheduled to finish only on a checkered flag it was finally called before the 10th restart was made.
Brandon Paasch: “Well… I won’t be able to sit down for the next month! P4 in the end, not bad for our first outing since breaking my back three months ago. Loads of people to thank for this last minute effort. Cheers for all the support!!!”
Brandon took home $17,000 of the $250,000 purse for his efforts.
Rodio Racing thanks Pirelli for the fantastic tires, Skip Dowling and Rob Silva at K-Tech USA for suspension support, Anthony Corbo of Bauce Racing for the tune, and Phillip Bailey and Ryne Snooks for their massive help putting this effort together.
Will Gawler (213) in action at Summit Point. Photo by www.formerinstants.com, courtesy ASRA.
ASRA racing at Summit Point Motorsports Park was once again a great event for the 8th Round of 2023. The weather was great. In the Heavyweight Superbike race, Will Gawler, riding his Suzuki GSXR-1000, managed to stay ahead of Brian Grasso and his Yamaha YZF-R1. Chyler Weatherford was a close third.
The racing went very smoothly thanks to the talented racers that kept it up and the MARRC crew for keeping the safe and speedy decisions flowing. With 30 races over two days at Summit Point Raceway, everyone managed to get it all done by 3:30 PM on Sunday!
Evan Belford (52) leads Amanuel Brinton (43) while American Julian Correa (40) runs fifth in a British Talent Cup race at Knockhill. Photo courtesy British Talent Cup.
Brinton vs Belford: the tale of Knockhill!
Two duels decide the two races in Scotland as Brinton takes a first victory in the Cup
Monday, 19 June 2023
In classic R&G British Talent Cup style, Race 1 at Knockhill was decided at the final corner and on the final lap as Amanuel Brinton (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) and Evan Belford (City Lifting/RS Racing) duelled it out for supremacy in Scotland. Brinton trailed Cup leader Belford throughout the 12-lap restarted race but was able to time his move to perfection to claim a first ever win in the Cup, right back in the mix at the front as he returned to the fold. And at a venue he’s never raced before!
As the race got underway, it was Belford who took the lead with the top four quickly breaking away from the chasing pack, although four soon became three when Rhys Stephenson (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) highsided at the final corner on Lap 3. It allowed Belford, Brinton and Sullivan Mounsey (Wilson Racing / Maddison Media) to scrap it out. On Lap 8, the red flags were shown after a crash for Daniel Goodman (VisionTrack Racing Team).
The race was restarted over a 12-lap distance, but the story was the same when the lights went out again. Belford, Brinton and Mounsey broke away in the opening laps, but the fight for victory turned into Belford against Brinton with Mounsey just behind. Brinton was pushing hard and had a huge moment into Turn 2 on Lap 10 which cost him time, before Belford had his own moments on Lap 12. Brinton used this to close the gap, and he made the race-winning overtake at the final corner on the last lap when he went up the inside of Belford. The pair were separated by just 0.029s at the line with Mounsey securing third place, almost 1.8 seconds down on Brinton.
There was another twist in the title fight too as Harrison Dessoy (Microlise Cresswell Racing / Eastern Garage Racing), who had been in the top three in the standings ahead of the visit to Knockhill, crashed on the opening lap of the restarted race.
There was a fierce fight for fourth as Ryan Frost (Talentum Motorsport By Azure Notions) fended off Julian Correa (Microlise Cresswell Racing) by just a tenth after 12 laps, while Harley McCabe (McCabe Racing) was just another tenth back in seventh place in a hotly contested battle for the top positions. The trio finished around seven seconds down on eventual winner Brinton, but they had a big gap to the riders behind who completed the top ten.
Eighth place went to Scott McPhee (SMP Racing) while Ronnie Harris (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) finished three seconds down on McPhee in ninth. Two riders squabbled over tenth place with Lucas Brown (Amphibian Scaffolding / SP125 Racing) and Alfie Davidson (Banks Racing) battling it out. Brown finished just ahead of Davidson with only 0.016s separating the pair across the line.
After a duel in Race 1, Evan Belford (City Lifting/RS Racing) and Amanuel Brinton (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) once again went toe-to-toe in the second R&G British Talent Cup showdown of the day, and on take two it was Belford who hit back for another 25-point haul as the race was red flagged with a few laps to go. Despite losing the chance for a late attack, Brinton takes another impressive podium in second, with Sullivan Mounsey (Wilson Racing / Maddison Media) taking third and his own second visit to the rostrum on Sunday after pipping Harley McCabe (McCabe Racing).
As the lights went out it was Belford who grabbed the holeshot from Brinton, with Mounsey close in third and McCabe in fourth as the quartet started to break away early. They remained line astern for the first half of the race, but by half distance Belford and Brinton had got the hammer down.
As the duo pulled away, it became a tale of two duels to decide the podium finishers. At the front, Brinton stayed tucked in behind Belford as the laps ticked down, but the fight was hotting up between Mounsey and McCabe as they began trading places.
With only a handful of laps still to go, however, the battle was cut short as the red flags came out – meaning there would be no chance of a late attack for Brinton. Belford took the win after leading the way since the lights went out, with Brinton forced to settle for second.
In the duel for the podium behind it wasn’t as clear cut, but Mounsey took it and another rostrum finish, having been ahead of McCabe in their showdown when the race was stopped.
After another close battle, in Race 2 it was Julian Correa (Microlise Cresswell Racing) who was two tenths ahead of Ryan Frost (Talentum Motorsport By Azure Notions) when the result was declared, with Ollie Walker (VisionTrack Racing Team) taking seventh after just fading off the back of that duel.
Filip Surowiak (FS75 Racing / FAB Racing) was eighth, with Scott McPhee (SMP Racing) and Alexander Rowan (Mortimer Racing Victoria House Academy) completing the top ten.
After another shuffle in Scotland, Belford now has some margin at the top of the standings – but it’s Brinton back on the chase in second. Mounsey is now third after a solid weekend, and McCabe fourth as the two both leapfrog Harrison Dessoy. The number 55 will want to bounce back at Snetterton after following up a crash in Race 1 with another in Race 2, leaving Scotland with nil points. Still, there’s plenty of the season still to go! Who will reign at Round 4? We’ll find out from the 7th to the 9th of July!
Sean Dylan Kelly (4). Photo courtesy American Racing Team.
American Racing Team narrowly misses out on the points in Germany as Sean Dylan Kelly takes 17th whilst replacement rider Carlos Tatay finishes in 19th.
At a track he enjoyed last year, Sean’s weekend started positively as the American finished first practice 13th on the timings. With the weather taking a turn for the worst in the afternoon, no one was able to improve, and he ended the day in 13th despite a late crash after he touched a wet patch whilst entering the pits.
Focusing on race simulation for FP3, Sean braved the return of the wet weather, ending the morning in 12th. Due to the conditions, there were no further timing improvements and Sean secured his first direct Q2 spot.
With the sun shining and the track heating up for Q2, Sean set his best time of 1:25.519 to take 18th place for Sunday’s GermanGP.
Race day offered the best weather of the weekend as track temperatures reached 43°C. Sean’s race got off to a hectic start with a multi-rider crash ahead of him, luckily he was able to avoid any contact and make his way into 16th before quickly passing Marcos Ramirez for 15th.
Sean was able to hold onto the final points-scoring positions until lap seven when he was caught by Ai Ogura.
With the hot temperatures and lack of dry running time, Sean struggled to maintain the pace, dropping back into 17th where he ended the race.
Making his Moto2 World Championship debut, Carlos’ had a mixed first session. After rocketing into the top 10, the Spaniard took a tumble at Turn 11 and ended his session with 15 minutes remaining. The tricky conditions of FP2 made the team take a more conservative approach to Carlos’ session, opting to put in 15 laps to finish Friday in 27th.
Prioritising long runs for the final practice session, Carlos ended the wet running in 15th spot. Thankfully, the weather dramatically improved for Q1 and the Spaniard was able to get some dry track time for his first World Championship Qualifying session – ending the afternoon 12th to line up 26th on the grid.
It was a difficult start to his maiden World Championship race for Carlos. Despite avoiding a crash on lap one, the Spaniard lost ground and dropped back into 25th early on.
Fighting his way back through, he made his way into 19th spot, only half a second behind Zonta Van Den Goorbergh as he took the chequered flag, setting some of his best lap times right at the end of the race.
Sean Dylan Kelly (4) put a lot of riders behind him but came up just short of scoring points at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy American Racing Team.
Sean Dylan Kelly #4
I think it was a strong weekend. My first time directly into Q2, I think is a huge positive for me that I need to take and it’s something I’ve been working hard for so I’m really happy about that. We were competitive in the rain, fighting for that top 10 and finishing 12th in FP3 but today they were the hottest conditions that we’ve had all year so far – I felt strong in the race and I’m honestly happy with my performance and consistency. The grip was really difficult to manage but I was happy with how I was doing.
Unfortunately, I just missed out on the points in 17th – I think it was my closest gap to first and I had the group just ahead of me – I gave it my all but it just wasn’t enough for points today. I’m definitely disappointed about that but I’m looking at the positives and looking forward to next week.
Fill-in rider Carlos Tatay (99) finished 19th. Photo courtesy American Racing Team.
Carlos Tatay #99
It was a great weekend. My first FP1 was going really well but I crashed with just 10 laps in the session because of a cold tyre. I was feeling really good in the wet too but at the end, I did about 10 laps and then it was directly to Q1. It was quite difficult, but I had a good race with a good pace. In the beginning, I was finding my pace, and everything was quite new for me so I was coming little by little but in the end, I could do good lap times with good rhythm for the first time.
I’m not completely happy but I can say it was a good weekend for me as I keep learning and achieving little by little. Now, let’s go to Assen!
Max Whale (18) finished fourth in the AFT Singles race at the DuQuoin Mile. Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM.
TOP-FIVE FINISHES FOR RED BULL KTM’S MAX WHALE AND KODY KOPP IN DUQUOIN MILE
Round 9 – American Flat Track Championship
DUQUOIN, Ill. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Max Whale and Kody Kopp raced hard at Round 9 of the 2023 American Flat Track Championship, with Whale finishing in fourth and Kopp fifth position following a thrilling AFT Singles Main Event at the DuQuoin Mile.
After qualifying ninth, Whale made strong progress throughout the event with his KTM 450 SX-F, as he secured second position in the second heat race of the night. This earned the Australian entry into Dash-for-Cash, which resulted in P4. More advancements were made as the Main Event arrived, with Whale situated in a five-rider dual for the top spot, eventually crossing the line in P4 by a slender 0.081s margin.
Max Whale: “We improved every time we hit the track here at the DuQuoin Mile and got everything working really well. We started strong, made it into the Dash again, which was good, and then just worked hard – got into a groove in the Main Event, tried to get to the front as quick as I could. I ended up in a battle with five guys, which was awesome, a lot of fun, and I crossed the stripe in fourth. We’ve worked hard as a team and are stoked to head into Lima!”
Defending AFT Singles Champion Kopp began the round with P2 in qualifying, before racing to third place in his heat race. A hotly-contested Main Event saw Kopp battle hard as the top six were separated by less than a half a second, with the number one plate-holder ultimately crossing the line in fifth place – only 0.106s from victory – to keep himself right in title contention.
Kody Kopp (1) finished fourth in the AFT Singles race at the DuQuoin Mile. Photo courtesy Red Bull KTM.
Kody Kopp: “Ended up P5 today, which is the best result we’ve had in a while, although there are a bunch of rounds coming up that I’m looking forward to. I wanted to get through these miles, because the results have been frustrating, and the consecutive off the box finishes have hurt the points chase. We’ll keep our heads up though, go into the next round which we won last year, and hope to do the same thing this time around.”
Next Race: Lima Half-Mile – Lima, Ohio – June 24, 2023
Round 9 Results
AFT Singles Main Event
1. Tom Drane, Yamaha
2. Chase Saathoff, Honda
3. Trent Lowe, Honda
4. Max Whale, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
5. Kody Kopp, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
OTHER KTM
8. Dalton Gauthier, KTM
13. Travis Petton IV, KTM
15. Declan Bender, KTM
16. Shayna Texter-Bauman, KTM
18. Landen Smith, KTM
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING WINS BIG AT DUQUOIN MILE WITH THRILLING PERFORMANCE BY JARED MEES
Reigning SuperTwins Champion Continues Gaining Momentum as he Hunts for Ninth-Career Grand National Championship
MINNEAPOLIS – In a thrilling Father’s Day weekend at the DuQuoin Mile in DuQuoin, Illinois, Indian Motorcycle Racing and reigning SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees secured their third-consecutive win of the 2023 American Flat Track (AFT) season. The win marks Mees’ fifth of the season and 26th-career Mile victory.
In the night’s Main event, it was Mees and rival, Dallas Daniels, along with Briar Bauman and Indian Motorcycle privateer Brandon Robinson, who gave fans a thrilling four-man showdown. While the pack endured a bar-to-bar battle throughout the race, frequently exchanging passes, it was Mees who crossed the checkered flag first, just .033 seconds ahead of Robinson.
“Jared and team have done an incredible job setting up the FTR750 for Mile races this season, as displayed through the team’s three consecutive Mile victories,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “Now halfway through the season, just nine points back from the top of the leaderboard, Mees is primed to carry this momentum and make a strong push at securing a record-tying ninth-career championship.”
Marking his 26th-career Mile victory, the win broke a three-way tie between Mees and former racing icons Bubba Shobert and Bryan Smith, giving Mees the third most Mile wins of all time.
Now with 189 points, Mees continues to chip away and close the gap behind SuperTwins points leader Daniels, who has three wins and 198 points on the year. The 2023 American Flat Track season continues June 24 for the Lima Half-Mile at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, OH.
For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE®
Indian Motorcycle Company is America’s First Motorcycle Company®. Founded in 1901, Indian Motorcycle has won the hearts of motorcyclists around the world and earned distinction as one of America’s most legendary and iconic brands through unrivaled racing dominance, engineering prowess and countless innovations and industry firsts. Today that heritage and passion is reignited under new brand stewardship. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.
Jason O'Halloran (22) leads Kyle Ryde (77) and the rest of the British Superbike field at Knockhill Circuit. Photo courtesy MSVR.
LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde won Bennetts British Superbike Race Two Sunday at Knockhill Circuit in Scotland. Ryde won the 30-lap race by 0.903 second over BeerMonster Ducati’s Tommy Bridewell with McAMS Yamaha’s Jason O’Halloran finishing third.
In Race Three Sunday it was Glenn Irwin defeating his teammate Bridewell by 0.879 second and Ryde’s teammate Ryan Vickers finishing third on his Yamaha YZF-R1.
Tommy Bridewell (46) leads teammate Glenn Irwin (2) and the rest at Knockhill Circuit. Photo courtesy MSVR.
American Julian Correa finished fifth in both British Talent Cup races Sunday, while countryman Eli Banish was 19th and 11th in the two races.
American Julian Correa (40). Photo by Cami Photography, courtesy Michael Correa.
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Make mine a double! Irwin and BeerMonster Ducati bounce back to win race three
Glenn Irwin bounced back from a race two crash to celebrate victory in the final Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Knockhill, holding off his teammate Tommy Bridewell to celebrate a double win in Scotland, sharing today’s victories with Kyle Ryde.
Irwin had won the opening race of the weekend, but he shared the Scottish success with Ryde. The intense action across the three races meant that five different riders from three different teams featured on the podium.
In race two Ryde claimed his fourth win of the season after a determined performance to maintain his momentum for LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha.
O’Halloran had initially taken the lead ahead of Ryde, Ryan Vickers and Irwin. The lead group became a train of five riders as Bridewell worked his way through the order after his start from ninth on the grid and Christian Iddon was also in contention.
O’Halloran was piling the pressure on Ryde for the lead, but after attempting a move at the Hairpin, the McAMS Yamaha rider went wide and then as the pack crossed the line to start lap 23, Irwin passed both of his Yamaha rivals to move into the lead.
Irwin was then leading from Ryde, O’Halloran, Bridewell, Vickers and Iddon. However, it was a disaster for the BeerMonster Ducati rider when he crashed out of the lead at the Hairpin with three laps to go.
Ryde was then the race leader with Bridewell promoted to second after he had carved his way up the order with O’Halloran in third and that was how the podium lined up at the chequered flag.
Vickers missed out on the podium in fourth place with Iddon equalling his best result of the season in fifth place.
In race three, O’Halloran was again the race leader on the opening lap as he launched off the line ahead of Iddon and teammates Bridewell and Irwin.
Iddon wasted no time in trying to capture the lead and moved ahead of O’Halloran on the brakes into the Hairpin on the opening lap, but his McAMS Yamaha rival instantly fought back and regained the position before the start line.
It was heartbreak for O’Halloran though as he crashed his McAMS Yamaha out of the lead a lap later. Meanwhile Bridewell had moved into second and with the Australian out of contention, the BeerMonster Ducati rider was then leading the pack.
Ryde had been working his way up the order and he was second by the third lap ahead of Iddon and Irwin. Irwin though was determined to bounce back from his race two crash and he was into second by the tenth lap with a move on Ryde into turn one.
The leading group then became Bridewell, Irwin Ryde, Iddon and Vickers, but the BeerMonster Ducatis broke the pack in the closing stages. Irwin then grabbed the lead from Bridewell on lap 18 with another move on the brakes into turn one before holding him off until the chequered flag with the pair separated by 0.879s at the finish.
Iddon had been holding third place as he fought for his first podium finish of the season but he overshot the Hairpin with ten laps to go and had to re-join after an excursion through the gravel but was then in tenth. He was able to get the better of Dean Harrison in the closing stages but he had to settle for ninth place.
Vickers meanwhile had been shadowing his LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha teammate and he hit third with a move at the Hairpin on lap 20, before holding off the race two winner to claim his second podium finish of the season.
Lee Jackson was fifth as he battled with Leon Haslam ahead of Tom Neave who scored his season best result for Honda Racing UK after keeping Josh Brookes at bay on the leading FHO Racing BMW Motorrad.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, Race 2 result:
Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha)
Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.903s
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +1.171s
Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +2.148s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +5.188s
Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +10.926s
Storm Stacey (Starline Racing Kawasaki) +12.603s
Tom Neave (Honda Racing UK) +13.807s
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) +15.170s
Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team) +15.458s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, Race 3 result:
Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.879s
Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +3.137s
Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +7.483s
Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +9.675s
Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team) +9.854s
Tom Neave (Honda Racing UK) +11.396s
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) +11.868s
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +17.964s
Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) +21.255s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) 163
Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 155
Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 152
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) 136
Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team) 136
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 98
Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) 97
Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 85
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 78
Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) 61
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Glenn Irwin
BeerMonster Ducati
“It’s a shame what happened in today’s first race as I could have been coming away with a hat-trick but I’m happy with the two wins we had and, like, yesterday, I really, really enjoyed the final race.
“I could see Tommy in the lead and knew when it was time to up the pace as whilst he was strong in some areas, I felt strong all around the circuit.
“He improved his braking into the hairpin all weekend, but the BeerMonster Ducati was strong out of the hairpin, and I was able to make my move along the straight and into the first corner.
“Two wins out of three means it’s been a pretty good weekend and I need to thank the team.”
More, from a press release issued by BeerMonster Ducati:
BeerMonster Ducati Double Up At Knockhill
Round four of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship proved a successful one for BeerMonster Ducati with doubles all round following the three races held at Knockhill in Scotland this weekend.
Following Glenn Irwin’s victory in the BikeSocial Sprint race yesterday, he backed that up with another win today to claim his first double of the season whilst teammate Tommy Bridewell kept his title charge on course with a superb double podium in both of today’s races to increase his championship lead.
Saturday’s results meant Glenn and Tommy lined up in fifth and ninth respectively for the opening 30-lap race around the 1.26-mile Fife venue with Irwin quickly slotting into third as Bridewell set about moving his way through the field once more on Paul Bird’s F23 specification V4R BeerMonster Ducati.
Tommy had moved up to sixth at half race distance with Glenn continuing to hold onto third as just 1.5 seconds covered the top six riders. It was all change on lap 23, however, as Irwin moved into the lead with Bridewell up to fourth before taking third two laps later.
But with three laps to go, there was heartbreak for Irwin as he crashed out of the lead at the Hairpin and that meant it was Kyle Ryde who got the win with Bridewell coming through for an excellent second.
That put Tommy in the middle of the front row for the final race of the weekend with Glenn in fifth once more. The duo completed the opening lap in the top five and soon moved forward, with Tommy taking the lead on the third lap as Glenn moved up to third.
By the tenth lap, they were running first and second and with Glenn having slightly quicker pace, he took over the lead on lap 18. On this occasion, he controlled proceedings all the way to the end and this time there was to be no mistake as he took the win from Bridewell by 0.879 seconds.
The result, which was the team’s second 1-2 of the season, sees Bridewell increase his championship lead to eight points ahead of Ryde with Irwin in third just three points down on his Yamaha rival.
Glenn Irwin: “It’s a shame what happened in today’s first race as I could have been coming away with a hat-trick but I’m happy with the two wins we had, and I really enjoyed the final race. I could see Tommy in the lead and knew when it was time to up the pace as whilst he was strong in some areas, I felt strong all around the circuit. He’s improved his braking into the Hairpin all weekend, but the BeerMonster Ducati was strong out of the Hairpin, and I was able to make my move along the straight and into the first corner. Two wins out of three means it’s been a pretty good weekend.”
Tommy Bridewell: “I’m over the moon with two seconds today especially as we were off the pace for the first day. I struggled a bit but credit to the team, we turned it around from qualifying onwards and I felt a lot better. It was a shame to see Glenn go down in the first race as it was again showing the strength of the team and the bike, but I knew he’d come out fighting in the third race. I got to the front and set a steady pace, trying to look after my tyre, but I knew Glenn would be there. He’s been riding with a bit more confidence than me, so I’ll take the two seconds especially as they’ve increased my championship lead.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s been another good day and whilst we could have come away with all three wins, we’ve still had four podiums and that’s a really good return given we thought this would be one of the more difficult circuits on the calendar. The team have worked phenomenally hard so full credit to them and both riders rode exceptionally well. Glenn’s had that bit more than the rest of the field this weekend and the crash was just one of those things where the penalty didn’t fit the crime. He bounced back superbly well but Tommy kept him honest in the last race and it’s great to have another 1-2. We’re looking good in the championship table and the way things are going, it’s going to cost us a lot in win and podium bonuses this year!”
More, from a press release issued by FHO Racing BMW:
A CHALLENGING WEEKEND IN SCOTLAND FOR THE FHO RACING BMW MOTORRAD TEAM
It’s been a tough weekend for the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad team, as Faye Ho’s squad returned to its Bennetts British Superbike Championship duties, and coming to Knockhill’s 1.27-mile circuit was a stark contrast to the Isle of Man TT Races, where the team were last in action.
Even though the fourth round of the championship presented its challenges in terms of grip and set-up issues across the board for Josh Brookes and Peter Hickman, it wasn’t all bad with Brookes scoring vital points in all races.
Finishing inside the top-ten in all races aboard the BMW M 1000 RR, Brookes finished Saturday’s 20-lap Sprint Race ninth, and came home ninth and eighth in yesterday’s longer 30-lap races. With consistent point-scoring places, Brookes collected 22 points across the weekend and is still in championship contention where he’s fourth overall in the standings – 16 points shy of third place and 27 adrift of the championship leader.
For teammate Hickman, Knockhill delivered disappointment across the first two races, which saw him at the back of the field. Struggling to optimise the settings on his BMW machine, he finished the opening race of the weekend 16th and retired from Sunday’s first race.
With track temperatures high and conditions near perfect across the weekend, the final race saw temperatures drop which helped the FHO squad address the niggling grip issues they had faced. Starting from 17th on the grid, Hicky made up places across the 30 laps and came home 12th picking up four points.
The FHO Racing BMW Motorrad team now have a well-deserved break having been back-to-back with race meetings since the second round at Oulton Park with BSB, the North West 200 and the TT Races. The fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Snetterton next month across 7-8-9 July.
The weekend also saw the FHO Girls in action with two HEL Performance British Junior Supersport races, where Denise dal Zotto finished 21st and 24th, Jamie Hanks-Elliott came home 15th, just 0.275s shy of 14th in the opening race and 19th in the second race. Holly Harris finished 29th and 28th, with Scarlett Robinson coming home 30th in both races.
Josh Brookes:
“It’s been a difficult weekend to comment on really, it’s not been the results we wanted. We stayed on and finished all the races apart from a slip off this morning in warm up, so in one way we’ve got points in all three races and were in the top-ten. But it’s also been a frustrating weekend as we’ve not been able to make progress and fight for the higher places. We’ve tried to remain positive, make changes, always fighting to improve even if it’s just one sector, or one area of the bike to improve – but it just doesn’t seem to come here at Knockhill. We’ll now regroup as a team after a busy period with BSB and road racing, and we can head to Snetterton where hopefully we can look forward to some better results”
Peter Hickman:
“It’s been a super tough weekend here at Knockhill, coming from probably the biggest circuit in the world to the smallest doesn’t help. I tried 110% across the weekend, but for reasons I can’t even explain, I don’t know why, but we’ve just not had the pace right from the start. The team has worked so hard, we’ve turned the bike inside out and it’s not seemed to make any difference to the lap times. We changed things again for the last race and it actually did make an improvement where we finished 12th, the change was something we hadn’t tried before, and it did help as we went forwards for the first time rather than backwards. This weekend we’ve not finished where we want to be, or where we should be with the M 1000 RR and it’s hard to keep the morale up, but you have to keep plugging away and it’s great for the team that Josh finished inside the top-ten! Thanks to everyone for all their hard work and we’ll come back stronger at Snetterton.”
Faye Ho – Team Principal:
“It’s been a tough weekend for Josh, Pete and the team at Knockhill, but this is racing and sometimes the weekend doesn’t go as you would hope. Even though it’s not been plain sailing and we’ve not had the results we wanted, or that we know both Josh and Pete are capable of, for Josh to come away with three top-ten finishes and collect vital points is still a positive and keeps us in the championship fight. Pete and his side of the garage have tried all weekend, but he had his progress hampered until the final race.
It’s been a super busy period for everyone in the team with BSB, the North West 200 and of course the TT and I can’t thank everyone enough for all their hard work over this time. As a team we win together and we lose together, but the most important thing is that we’re all in this together and it’s how we deal with a difficult weekend that matters. Everyone has worked so hard and tried to remain upbeat and keep smiling even when times are tough. We have a few weeks now for some rest and we look forward to coming back to the fifth round refreshed and ready to get back into the mix.”
The Le Mans-style start of the 24H SPA EWC Motos. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
VICTORY IN SPA ENDS YART YAMAHA’S 14-YEAR WAIT FOR 24-HOUR EWC GLORY
Ace Austrian outfit tops provisional EWC standings with first 24-hour win since 2009
Reigning EWC champion team F.C.C. TSR Honda is second with Belgian BMW squad third
National Motos Honda bags Dunlop Superstock Trophy honours
YART Yamaha Official EWC moved to the top of the provisional FIM Endurance World Championship standings with victory in the 24H SPA EWC Motos today (Sunday), a result that ends the Austrian squad’s 14-year wait for a twice-around-the-clock triumph.
Despite a sluggish start for Marvin Fritz, YART Yamaha quickly kicked into gear and took the fight to its title rivals in an epic early showdown at the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
F.C.C. TSR Honda led the Spa order after eight hours, with YART repaying the compliment after 16. But while YART largely stayed out of trouble, exhaust problems forced F.C.C. TSR Honda into the pits for five minutes just after the 16-hour mark.
This costly stoppage allowed YART to steal a march, and even a damaged rear tyre just before 19 hours was swiftly changed in the pits, allowing the team to continue its victory charge for its first win over 24 hours since it triumphed at Le Mans in 2009.
A delighted Niccolò Canepa, who joined Fritz and Karel Hanika on the Bridgestone-equipped #7 bike, believes it is just the beginning for YART.
He said: “It has been a few years that we have been chasing this victory and I think it’s the first of many. We all deserve it, and I am so happy about that. Thanks to all the people involved in this project and it’s just the beginning.
“It has been an amazing race. To be honest, it was really, really tough. It was not easy from the beginning to the end. Up until the last laps, there was a question mark.
“The team did an amazing job in every pit stop and my team-mates too. We pushed from the first lap to the last one. We never stopped believing. It’s a long time since we won a 24-hour race. But in our minds, there was only one goal – to win – no matter what.”
Fritz believes the victory gives YART much more than first place in the provisional standings after a number of near misses in its quest for a 24-hour win. He said: “The championship lead is one thing; the biggest boost is the motivation for all the staff and the riders.
“We ride and push so hard at every race and then in every race, something happens at the last moment. The biggest bonus is the motivation to show YART can’t just win qualifying – we can win over 24 hours.
“I don’t know how many times we have been close. I didn’t come here with too many hopes because I know pole position never brings me luck. When we have pole position, I think ‘this is probably not a good omen.’ But finally, we took it all.”
Hanika was delighted to be part of YART’s famous victory. He said: “I am super happy with this win. It is my first 24-hour win, and the feeling is really amazing. The team did a great job. Big thanks to Yamaha, Bridgestone and to all my team-mates, all the people who are part of the team and my family.
“The first 15 hours of the race were non-stop pushing, so it was good to take some rest at the end. It was definitely a very difficult race. The competition was very strong. We couldn’t stop pushing for one lap. It was a very nice race for the spectators.”
BELGIANS WIN RACE FOR THE ROSTRUM
Belgian squad BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team took full advantage of a series of Yoshimura SERT Motul misfortunes to take third place in its home event, with the Suzuki-powered squad placed fourth.
BMW Motorrad was slowed by some mechanical issues in the first eight hours, but Yoshimura SERT Motul endured a luckless race after starting firmly in contention for the lead. Sylvain Guintoli attempted to pit at the wrong garage in the first hour. The team was then hit by a costly stop-go penalty for contact by Étienne Masson with the Holland Motorstore Racing bike in turn seven just after the five-hour mark.
The Japanese team’s misfortune continued when its bike was forced into the pits for three minutes to rectify a technical issue after six hours. Its chances of a top-three finish were then ended for good when its bike required a water pump change with three and a half hours remaining.
Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar claimed fifth place, overcoming an early crash for Kazuki Watanabe, who was taken to hospital for checks, but returned to the track to resume what was then a pretty smooth race.
Belgian outfit KM99 fought its way back into sixth after a fine night with its Yamaha, blazing from 14th place overall after eight hours to sixth spot after 16. This came after Bastian Mackels crashed at Eau Rouge in the opening hour, before his team-mate Lucas Mahias slipped off near the pit entrance at the seven-and-a-half-hour mark.
Honda Viltaïs Racing took seventh place, with Motobox Kremer Racing eighth, MANA-AU Competition ninth and TATI Team Beringer Racing taking the 10th and final scoring position in a race hit by light rain in the closing stages.
ERC Endurance Ducati was unable to follow up its fourth place at the EWC opener in Le Mans, retiring after nearly four hours. Wójcik Racing Team EWC followed suit after seven and a half hours, with Team Bolliger Switzerland forced out when its bike was beached in the gravel after 18 hours.
NATIONAL MOTOS HONDA SEALS SUPERSTOCK TRIUMPH
National Motos Honda revived its FIM Endurance World Cup title hopes after topping the podium in the Dunlop Superstock Trophy category.
The French team, a Honda motorcycle dealership and an EWC stalwart entrant, moved up to third place in the standings with victory in Belgium, as Team 33 Louit April Moto took second following a close battle.
Honda No Limits, fourth in the Le Mans season opener, took third to climb to second in the provisional title order, finishing three laps behind the winners and edging out Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda, the new points leader, for the last podium spot.
National Motos’ Sébastian Suchet was elated with a hard-fought victory. He said: “It’s a very different circuit from what we’re used to, but the real challenge of this race was our competitors. They didn’t give up on us the whole race.
“We gained tenths and seconds here and there to achieve this result. We had no room for error, but we did what was necessary. We had instructions that were clear, and it paid off.
“Throughout the race, we were often first, but sometimes second or third and all the time you could throw a handkerchief over us and our competitors.
“You feel fatigue less when you win. I am very happy for the team and for everyone. We’ve been chasing this victory for a while. We had to do everything well but sometimes things don’t go as planned. This time we managed to do everything from start to finish, so I am happy for everyone.”
FIGHTING FOR SUPERSTOCK SUPREMACY
National Motos Honda was deadlocked in a tense fight for supremacy with RAC41 during the night. But disaster struck for the latter team after 16 and a half hours, when Chris Leesch crashed, forcing the team to pit for repairs.
It did enough to salvage fourth place, overcoming more mechanical drama in the closing hour of the race to get back on track and top the overall standings on 85 points – six ahead of the Honda No Limits team, which has 79.
TRT27 Bazar 2 La Bécane took fifth spot in Spa, with Slider Endurance placed sixth ahead of BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers in seventh.
Wójcik Racing Team STK was eighth after being forced into the pits just before the 16-hour mark with mechanical problems, before Kamil Krzemień crashed shortly afterwards.
JMA Racing Action Bike was ninth and Holland Motorstore Racing rounded off the Superstock point scorers in 10th spot.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The EWC heads from Belgium to Japan for the 44th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race from 4-6 August.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Yamalube YART Yamaha Storm to Sensational Spa Victory
Yamalube YART Yamaha (7) en route to victory at Spa. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team produced an incredible performance at the 24H Spa EWC Motos to claim a stunning victory in Belgium and take the overall lead in the FIM Endurance World Championship standings.
The second edition of the 24H SPA EWC Motos showcased exactly why endurance racing returned to the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in 2022 after a 20-year hiatus. It contained everything, thrilling on-track battles, numerous safety cars, and even the threat of rain towards the end of the race. Despite all of this, nothing could stop the YART Yamaha team and riders Niccolò Canepa, Karel Hanika, and Marvin Fritz as they secured their first FIM EWC victory since the 12 Hours of Estoril in 2020 and their first 24-hour race win for 14 years.
A dominant showing in Friday’s qualifying saw the team secure pole position by 0.959s, with all three YART riders lapping within 0.198s of each other. On top of their stunning one-lap pace, the Austrian squad had spent much of the week focusing on race setup with the Bridgestone-shod #7 R1, so confidence was flowing within the team heading into Saturday’s race.
Fritz took the first stint from pole following the traditional “Le Mans” running start, but a slight wheelie off the line meant he entered Turn 1 down in 10th. The German composed himself superbly before fighting his way back through the field and becoming involved in an epic three-way battle for the lead. After exchanging a few spectacular overtaking manoeuvres, he took over at the front and handed the YART R1 to Hanika for the second stint.
Hanika hit the ground running, but almost immediately, out came the first of many safety cars. Once racing had resumed, the Czech rider took the lead and opened up an advantage of two seconds before heading into the pits and giving the bike to Canepa for his first stint.
The Italian gave it full gas and opened up a 22s lead with a string of low to mid 2:22 laps, but just before the two-hour mark, another safety car, this time for oil on the track, would mean that his rivals would be able to close up. After a delay of over 35 minutes, the race was back on, and Canepa again broke away to establish a 12.5s gap at the front before handing the bike back to Fritz.
The next few stints became frustrating for the team, as they repeatedly fought hard to open up an advantage, only to see it effectively wiped out again by a series of safety cars. Due to this, none of the front three teams could break away, with the close racing continuing to the 8-hour mark, when YART collected nine EWC points for being in second.
As the night went on, each YART rider showed astonishing pace and consistency, highlighted by Canepa setting the team’s fastest lap at 3 am local time, a 2:21.015. Their efforts were rewarded with the lead after 15 hours of racing, and as dawn broke in Spa, they started to extend their advantage at the front.
At the 16-hour mark, YART’s lead was up to 14s, ensuring they secured 10 more vital championship points. The team continued to be faultless, maintaining their pace as their rivals lost time due to technical issues, and an hour later, they had opened a two-lap gap at the front, although there was drama on the way.
Approaching 19 hours into the race, Fritz had only completed a few laps of his stint when he suffered damage to his rear tyre that caused a puncture. Somehow, he managed to bring the R1 back to the box, with the team doing a brilliant job of turning around a quick pit stop and getting Fritz back out on track while still leading by a lap.
From here on in, the whole YART Yamaha team pulled together to ensure there were no mistakes, with all three riders remaining focused and controlling the gap at the front, although there was still a surprise in store as rain flags appeared with just over one hour to go.
Despite spots of rain on his visor, Hanika used his experience and took no unnecessary risks to ensure he handed over to Canepa for the final stint with the team’s one-lap advantage over the bike in second place intact.
The Italian showed nerves of steel. Unfazed by the weather, his pace was unrelenting, and he extended the lead even more during the last hour before stopping for a quick splash and dash with 15 minutes to go.
As the race clock hit 24 hours, Canepa brought the YART R1 across the line for the last time to secure first position and the team’s first 24-hour race victory since Le Mans in 2009 after completing 572 laps, one more than their nearest rival.
YART’s victory saw them collect another 40 points, which, when added to the five they secured for pole and the 19 they received for their positions at the eight and 16-hour marks, respectively, meant they amassed 64 of the 65 points on offer in Belgium, and now lead the overall FIM EWC standings with 118 points.
The Belgian-based KM Motos team of Lucas Mahias, Florian Marino, and Bastian Mackels made it two R1s in the top six after they put in a strong showing at their home race to complete 561 laps, while Maco Racing Team’s Balint Kovacs, Enzo Boulom, and Martin Vugrinec finished in 19th (504 laps).
The Moto Ain Yamaha EWC Supported Team of Corentin Perolari, Roberto Tamburini, and Alessandro Polita completed 472 laps to secure 21st, while unfortunately, Wojcik Racing Team EWC 77’s Sheridan Morais, Isaac Vinales, and Mathieu Gines were forced to withdraw from the race after 149 laps.
Next up on the FIM EWC calendar is Round 3, the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan, on the 4th-6th of August, before the season’s final race, the Bol d’Or in France, on the 14th-17th of September.
Niccolò Canepa – P1 – 572 laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It has been a few years that we have been chasing this victory, and I think it’s the first of many. We all deserve it, and I am so happy about that. Thanks to all the people involved in this project. It is just the beginning. It was an amazing race. To be honest, it was tough from the beginning to the end. Up until the last laps, there was a question mark. The team did an amazing job during every pit stop, and my teammates were incredibly quick. We pushed from the first lap to the last one. We never stopped believing. It’s a long time since we won a 24-hour race. But in our minds, there was only one goal – to win – no matter what.”
Karel Hanika – P1 – 572 laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“I am super happy with this win. It is my first 24-hour victory, and the feeling is really amazing. The team did a great job. Huge thanks to Yamaha, Bridgestone, my teammates, everyone who is a part of the team, and my family. The first 15 hours of the race were non-stop pushing, so it was good to be able to control the pace at the end. It was definitely a tough race. The competition was very strong. We couldn’t stop pushing for one lap. It was a very nice race for the spectators, especially at the start, with some excellent battles, but we managed to come out on top, and that is all that matters.”
Marvin Fritz – P1 – 572 laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“The championship lead is one thing; the biggest boost is the motivation for all the staff and the riders. We ride and push so hard at every race, and then something always seems to happen at the last moment. It’s also great to show everyone that YART isn’t just the fastest in qualifying; we can win over 24 hours. I don’t know how many times we have been close. I didn’t come here with too many hopes because I know pole position never brings me luck. When we have pole position, I think, ‘This is probably not a good omen.’ But finally, we took it all, and I could not be happier for the whole team.”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – Team Manager
“I am almost lost for words. We have been close several times, but luck has not been on our side; therefore, taking this 24-hour race victory means so much to the whole team. No matter what happened, we never gave up believing. The team worked hard to prepare for the race all week, and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts. Everything came together, and all three riders were sensational, pushing to the maximum every lap to bring home the win. I am so proud of everyone. A big thank you to everyone from Yamaha, Bridgestone, and each member of the team…we did it!”
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
24H SPA EWC Motos: Another podium for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team at its home race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Markus Reiterberger, Ilya Mikhalchik and Jérémy Guarnoni finish third on the #37 BMW M 1000 RR in the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Second podium in two races in the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship. Superstock pole for the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team goes unrewarded.
Ilya Mikhalchik (37) helped BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team finish third overall at Spa. Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Spa-Francorchamps. The tension within the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team finally evaporated after 24 intensive hours of racing at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (BEL); Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) again finished on the podium with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR at round two of the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC), the 24H SPA EWC Motos. They produced a flawless performance to come home third at the home race for Werner Daemen (BEL) and his team. The trio had previously finished third at the opening race weekend in Le Mans (FRA). This season’s results make for happy reading so far; two races, two podium celebrations. The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team also lies third in the Team world championship standings, 33 points behind the leaders.
The second qualifying session on Friday confirmed that the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team would again be among the top teams at Spa-Francorchamps, having taken victory there last year. The #37 BMW M 1000 RR secured second place on the grid.
On several occasions during the early stages of the race, Reiterberger, Mikhalchik and Guarnoni were unfortunate with safety car phases that cost them a lot of time after their pit stops. The result was that the trio dropped back down the field each time – once as far as 19th. However, Reiterberger, Mikhalchik and Guarnoni repeatedly worked their way back through the field, one position at a time.
By the eighth hour of the race, Reiterberger, Mikhalchik and Guarnoni had climbed as high as fourth place. They maintained that position through the night, thanks to consistently good lap times, efficient fuel consumption, flawless work from the riders and team, and a bike that was running smoothly – always poised to snatch a spot on the podium.
That opportunity came with three and a half hours remaining, when the #37 Suzuki team ahead of them encountered technical issues and dropped back. Reiterberger inherited third place, which he, Mikhalchik and Guarnoni comfortably maintained through to the finish. Even the onset of rain in the closing stages could not prevent them from claiming their second podium finish of the season.
Fresh from their debut victory in the Superstock class at the season-opener in Le Mans, the new Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team again made a strong start to the race weekend. The team, making its first appearance at Spa-Francorchamps, set the pace in the Superstock class with the #9 BMW M 1000 RR. By the end of qualifying, Kenny Foray (FRA), Jan Bühn (GER) and Loïc Arbel (FRA) had secured pole position in their category. At the start of the race, Foray was able to match the pace of the EWC teams. However, the first setback was just around the corner. Foray was forced into the garage by a technical issue. The mechanics gave it their all and, after several hours of repair work, the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team was able to re-join the race in the evening. However, they ultimately had to retire the bike during the night.
The private BMW Team LRP Poland lined up at Spa-Francorchamps with the #90 BMW S 1000 RR. Julian Puffe (GER), Dominik Vincon (GER) and Pepijn Bijsterbosch (NED) were running in the top ten at times but struggled with various issues at several points of the race. After 24 hours of racing, Vincon pushed the bike to the finish line to the cheers of the spectators in the grandstand. However, in the provisional results list, the team is classed as non-classified.
Round three of the 2023 FIM EWC season, the 8 Hours of Suzuka (JPN), takes place on 6th August.
Quotes after the 24H SPA EWC Motos.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “We are very happy with third place. At the beginning of the race, there were unfortunate situations with the safety car periods, which caused us to lose several positions without having any influence on it. But the team fought back every time, and we deserve this third place. All three riders and the pit crew did an outstanding job, and the motorcycle ran almost like a clockwork. We only had to change the exhaustonce, and the team did it super quickly and precisely. Towards the end, the conditions became very tricky with the onset of rain, and we handled that superbly as well. We celebrate this result; we gladly take it home. It was also important that we solidified our third place in the championship. Now, our entire focus is on the next race in Suzuka. However, there is also some homework that we need to complete to reach the top because we weren’t fast enough for that today. At the same time, it’s a pity that the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team couldn’t bring their excellent performance to the finish due to a technical problem. But the team worked well and tried to fix the problem. They were able to return to the track and set very strong lap times, but unfortunately, the problem recurred.”
Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “It has been a very hectic race, for me and the entire team. In the beginning, we were unlucky with the Safety Car periods three times. We also struggled a bit when it was warmer as we didn’t have the right set-up for the bike. But once it cooled down a bit, I think we were one of the best teams. The riders did an incredible job again, the mechanics made no mistakes and when you have these ingredients, the podium is always possible. We were lucky that some other brands had technical problems. I have to say thank you to BMW that gave us a bike, as they did at Le Mans, that didn’t have any problem over the 24 hours. Now, we are third in the championship, and everything is open. Next up for us is the Japan pre-test and we are well prepared. There we need another strong result to be ready for the finale at Le Castellet, where we can achieve a podium or more.”
Markus Reiterberger: “After securing second place in qualifying, we were confident for the race. My start was great, and in the early laps, I was able to maintain second place. However, I struggled with grip in the high temperatures, so played it safe, and handed over the bike in fourth position. Unfortunately, in the early stages, we had the misfortune of doing three pit stops during the Safety Car period and had wait at the pit exit which caused us to lose a lot of time. However, we were able to complete the entire race without any mistakes, all three of us gave our maximum, and at times, we were the fastest on track. However, the gap to the front was significant, and the top three were so fast that it was difficult to catch them. But we remained error-free until the end and were able to secure third place. Thanks to the team, to everyone who cheered us on. It was a tough, long race, but we are all happy that we could finish it on the podium.”
Ilya Mikhalchik: “We are obviously very happy. Our speed during the race was faster than we expected. A few times, we had bad luck with the pit lane exit during a Safety Car and lost time but overall, we didn’t make any mistakes and everyone in the team did a great job. Now we focus on Japan and our goal is to finish there in a good position.”
Jérémy Guarnoni: “We are happy of course, it’s another podium, the second in a row after Le Mans. Naturally, we always want to win but this time we were clearly not lucky with the Safety Car and lost a lot of time, maybe two laps. As a result, we lost contact with the riders in front, so it was more difficult for us to fight with them. But it’s a good result for the team and for the championship. I am very pleased with the job everyone did, the mechanics, the team, and my really fast team-mates.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Another podium for F.C.C. TSR Honda France and victory for National Motos Honda in Superstock
Stunning performance from all five Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP in the 24H SPA EWC Motos
F.C.C. TSR Honda France clinched a second podium at the Belgium track, and after the win in the Le Mans season opener, the Honda #1 is determined to fight to renew the championship title.
Starting from fourth place on the grid, Josh Hook made a great start, immediately joining the front group and battling for first place during the first hours of the race.
Honda’s endurance specialists put in a series of fast stints without any single mistake in the race and constant lap times. However, entering the last quarter of the race, a technical issue surrounding the exhaust, forced the Honda #1 to enter the pits for five minutes and rejoin into third place.
Despite a few drops of rain at the end of the race, Honda’s endurance specialists did not let up in their efforts and claimed another podium finish after two clocked laps of the fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France is second in the standings after collecting 54 points, with a total of 117, just one point behind the leader. The next round will be held from August 4 to 6 at the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan.
National Motos Honda took an incredible and well-deserved win, leading the race from the first quarter of the race. The Honda #55, with very consistent and solid laps, and no mistakes, took the victory that places them third in the standings..
Honda No Limits repeated the third-place podium as in Le Mans after starting the race from ninth place in the Superstock category.
Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda was in second place most of the race, fighting for the lead during some hours. Chris Leesch had a crash early in the morning on a tricky, moistened track that forced him to enter the pits and rejoin in fourth place. Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda missed out the podium again as happened in Le Mans, but collected very valuable points that place the Fireblade #44 in the front of the Superstock standings.
Honda Viltaïs Racing was qualified in fifth position on the grid, and with a very good pace, the Fireblade #333 was placed in fourth position until the eight hours of racing. Some technical problems with the oil filter and the petrol pump forced the French team to enter the pits and rejoin the race in the 20th position.
Following the fighting spirit and outstanding performance of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, the team had an incredible comeback, crossing the finish line in 10th place overall (7th in the EWC class) that places the team 5th in the championship.
Josh Hook 1
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
We had an excellent start to the race with some good battles and some fast stints. Unfortunately, we had a technical issue surrounding the exhaust, but we can be satisfied with the weekend. Everyone did a great job to help us gain as many points as possible for the championship.
Mike Di Meglio 1
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
It’s a good result for the championship. The race was great because we were fighting for victory for a long time with some very tight gaps. We had a little problem in the morning, so in the end it was good to get 2nd place. A 24-hour race is always difficult. My team-mates were fast and the team also worked well. At Suzuka, with a fast bike, we can hope for a good result to keep fighting for the title.
Alan Techer 1
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
We had a good race. We knew we had the pace to fight at the front. And even though we were a little slower than the leader, we had one less pit stop, so anything was possible. But endurance is unpredictable. We showed that we are fast and that the bike and tyres work well. By finishing 2nd we’ve taken some big points for the championship, even if we’ve lost the lead by one point. I enjoyed the bike throughout the race, so I’m looking forward to Suzuka!
More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura SERT Motul:
YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL TAKES VITAL POINTS FROM 24-HOUR RACE AT SPA
Yoshimura SERT Motul finished in fourth place at the second round of the FIM Endurance World Championship held over the weekend of the 17th and 18th June at the EWC 24 Heures Spa Motos. The team also moved up to fourth overall in the championship standings.
The legendary 6.985km Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium, the longest circuit of the Endurance World Championship, is world renowned for being demanding on both team crew and riders. It tested Yoshimura SERT Motul all the way to the final hour.
Yoshimura SERT Motul started the second edition of the Spa EWC Motos from third place on the grid after a set of solid qualifying sessions. The riders took to the track, for the unique Le Mans start, in bright sunshine and high temperatures on a circuit that is very tough.
Gregg Black, once again, proved himself to be the start specialist by taking the holeshot, leading into the first corner. The high-performance of the team’s Suzuki GSX-R1000R provided the riders with the confidence required to attack and control the early stages of the race, dominating its rivals.
The safety car was often brought out and luck (good and bad) played a part with pit-in timing. The team continually swapped places with the Yamaha and Honda teams, putting in fast and consistent stints. However, just after five hours, when the top three teams including Yoshimura SERT Motul were battling within a second of each other, the team was given a stop-and-go penalty for touching a slower rider and causing him to crash. A part of the on-board camera fell off as a result of the contact and the team was instructed by Race Control to remove the kit. This work caused a problem which required repair work to be carried out in the pits and the team lost a lap which placed them a lap down from the leader.
To close the gap on the leader, the three riders rode hard, and team crew carried out fast and reliable pit work. When the sun went down, Yoshimura SERT Motul proved its strength and continued to put pressure on its rivals. Sylvain Guintoli posted a super-fast lap record time of 2.20.578 on lap 164, which became the fastest lap of the event.
Mid-morning on Sunday while still battling for victory, Yoshimura SERT Motul experienced an issue with an engine auxiliary item which required crew intervention. The team was relegated to fourth place.
They returned to the race five laps down and each rider gave it everything they had but, it was a gap they were unable to close. In the final hours, rain dropped over a few areas of the track and Etienne Masson put in a valiant performance to take the team to fourth across the finish line.
At the end of a race highlighted by several twists and turns, the Franco-Japanese team didn’t give up and finished just off the podium, in fourth position. The team now has 66 points after a difficult race, which puts it in fourth place in the FIM EWC championship.
Yohei KATO – team director
“It wasn’t the result we’d hoped for. We had two main problems, the first when the onboard camera needed to be removed and then, when we were in second place and closing on the leader, an issue with an engine auxiliary item. I’m sorry for everyone who works with us and supports us. The riders and the bike performed well during the race. We’re now going to do everything we can to win at Suzuka and the Bol d’Or!”
Damien SAULNIER – team manager
“It’s hard to fall short of getting on the podium after all that effort. We had a great week here in Spa and we were very well prepared for the race. The team did a good job, the collaboration with the Japanese worked very well and the tires performed well also. But in endurance racing, you sometimes need a bit of luck, and we didn’t have any. And as it was also the case at Le Mans this year, I hope that bad luck will change sides next time! The team is looking forward to getting back the results it deserves.”
Gregg BLACK – rider
“This was the race for us not to miss. I’m obviously disappointed with our result because we were really well prepared. We took a good start and managed to set the pace when we needed to in order to fight with the leaders. Despite a few small problems and a stop-and-go penalty that was really unfortunate, we were still in with a chance of winning because the whole team did a great job. But a problem in the final hours stopped us in our tracks. We missed the podium and now things are more complicated for the championship.”
Sylvain GUINTOLI – rider
“Of course, we’d come here to do a lot better than that. Unfortunately, we had a few problems during the race. It’s a shame because we gave it our all. Personally, I feel completely drained after this race. But the result isn’t there. It’s a shame. There are still two races to go, so there’s still hope. We just need luck to be on our side at last.”
Etienne MASSON – rider
“I’m frustrated because we were really on the pace here. We gave it our all but, in the end, our efforts weren’t rewarded. We made too many little mistakes; the problem caused by removing the onboard camera, and the penalty, should have been avoided. It cost us a lot in the end. After that, my team-mates and I did everything we could to come back and put pressure on our rivals, but it wasn’t enough. It’s a shame because everyone deserved a better result. We miss winning and we’re starting to feel the clock is ticking!”
To the WIRE! Just 0.064s decides Martin vs Bagnaia at the Sachsenring
One of the closest ever German GP finishes sees the number 89 take his first GP win since 2021, with Pecco just inches behind and Zarco completing the podium as Binder crashes out
Jorge Martin (89) held off Francesco Bagnaia (1) to win in Germany. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 18 June 2023
What do you get when you add the two riders at the top of the standings to a record crowd at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland? One hell of a show! In one of the closest ever finishes at the Sachsenring, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) came out on top against reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in a duel that went right to the wire, ultimately decided by just 0.064 seconds as the two crossed the line almost in tandem. It’s Martin’s first win since Styria 2021 and consolidates his second place in the standings, now just 16 behind Bagnaia, and it’s the first time the number 89 has done the double – Tissot Sprint and GP win – and taken three GP podiums in a row.
Taking three Grand Prix rostrums in a row for the first time is now also true for Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) as the Frenchman completed the podium following a crash for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and that shuffles the standings yet further. So where do we start…
The first place to start is Warm Up, as eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) suffered another big crash and, although declared fit, decided to sit out the Grand Prix race after a difficult weekend. That left Bagnaia heading a grid that didn’t contain the 11-time winner… but there was one thing, at least, that remained increasingly predictable: Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took the holeshot.
Behind the Australian, Bagnaia and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) slotted into P2 and P3, at least until Turn 11 the Australian had a huge moment on the rear as they flicked it onto the cold side of the tyre. That allowed Bagnaia, Martin AND Marini to carve past.
Lap 3, Turn 12 – a change of the lead. Martin pounced on Pecco and with it, the Sprint victor set the fastest lap of the race. Just behind, Miller was holding teammate Binder at bay, with the latter enjoying a mini battle with the fast-starting, soft rear tyre-running Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing). But Binder grabbed P4 off Miller at the end of Lap 4 and set his sights on the top three, with Martin quickly building a 0.7s lead at the front.
Zarco was soon past Miller too – the same place he dispatched Binder at in the Sprint, Turn 11, this time with a little more space – and on Lap 7 the Frenchman set the fastest lap of the race too. Soon, Martin’s gap was down to 0.5s with the top five just two seconds apart. Lap 10 saw Binder pounce past Marini for P3 too, and soon Zarco was also past the Italian. By then, the gap between Binder and Bagnaia was up to 1.7s as the top five began to spread out.. and the top two to get closer together.
Martin and Bagnaia looked like they were out of reach for the chasing pack. Binder was 2.9s adrift with 17 laps to go, and Bagnaia starting to put pressure on the shoulders of Martin. With 12 to go, it looked like Martin was starting to respond though. Bagnaia had been right on Martin’s coattails but the gap edged back to half a second.
In the podium battle, drama then unfolded. Binder lost the rear heading into Turn 8 and that forced him to run wide and into the gravel, and the South African crashed out of third. That promoted Zarco to P3, and the Frenchman had some breathing space as Marini had teammate Marco Bezzecchi to contend with in a VR46-friendly fire duel.
Did the decisive moment of the Grand Prix come with 10 laps to go? Bagnaia decided it was time to take the lead at Turn 12, and did so, but how would Martin respond? If Bagnaia had been planning to put the hammer down and thought he could escape, after two laps that plan was gone as the #1 couldn’t shake off the #89. Then, at the same corner with six to go, Martin returned the favour. The top two in the title chase were embroiled in a fascinating fight in the Ring, now it was Bagnaia’s turn to show what punches he had left.
Two more tense laps later and it remained as you were, but close as ever with Martin leading Bagnaia by 0.2s. On Lap 27 of 30, it literally couldn’t get any closer between the pair at points on the track. Martin defended well down the hill to not allow Bagnaia through into Turn 12, and as they entered Lap 28 they were absolutely locked together.
Penultimate lap time. Martin vs Bagnaia. A King of the Ring crown up for grabs. Martin went defensive into Turn 1 as Bagnaia nearly ran into the back of Martin at Turn 3, with millimetres in it. And round the final corner for the penultimate time, those millimetres evaporated. Contact! Bagnaia tagged the back of the Pramac ahead, with no harm done but some metres lost for the reigning Champion. The race was really, really on now.
By halfway around the lap, the impossible looked plausible once more as Bagnaia got within 0.3. The climb up the hill was crucial but the #1 wasn’t close enough into Turn 12. And so, just 80 seconds after the contact last time around, it was down to Turn 13. Martin went defensive. Bagnaia opted for a wider, sweeping line up the hill. For the final time, it was Martin vs Bagnaia on the run to the line.
Martin edged it by a slender 0.064s as a wonderful battle lit up the Sachsenring, with the Spaniard cutting Bagnaia’s title advantage to 16 points. It’s the closest finish at the track since the 0.060 margin in 2003.
6.9s away from the victory scrap, Zarco claimed P3 for the third race in succession, and the #5 nearly crashed at Turn 1 on the final lap, too, pushing for his best run of rostrums.
The battles through the pack
Bezzecchi picked his way through the pack to a solid P4 after a tricky weekend, the Italian finishing 3.4s ahead of teammate Marini after the two went head-to-head earlier in the race. Miller was 0.2s him to finish P6, as Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) rounded out the top 10, the ortuguese
P11 went the way of Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) who finished ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ duo Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo, all three of whom remain the only three riders to score in every GP race so far this season. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) picked up the final points in P14 and P15.
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was forced to retire after his RS-GP encountered an issue in the early stages of the Grand Prix, and teammate Aleix Espargaro faded to 17 after struggling for grip late on.
So that’s that. An instant classic and a maximum of 37 points means it’s a perfect weekend for Martin in Germany, and it also means the title picture changes ahead of a trip to The Cathedral of Speed: Assen. 16 points split leader Pecco to Martin as we head to the always-fantastic Dutch TT. Buckle up!
QUOTES: THE DUELLING DUO
JORGE MARTIN: “I’m so emotional at the moment. After almost two years fighting for it, finally it came. It was a tough race. Pecco was pushing so hard. I had some issues in the middle of the race with the rear tyre, so I just tried to manage it. To be in front was my target. Even when he passed me, I tried to stay in front. In the last two laps, I was just trying to push to the maximum. I thought Pecco had something else but maybe I saved the tyre a little bit more at the beginning of the race. I’m super happy. I’m focused on the next one, this is hopefully the first step. We are getting closer and this is the main thing. Thank you to my people and family who supported me last season. We are ready for everything.”
PECCO BAGNAIA: “Jorge was really strong today. I tried. We improved compared to yesterday, we were competitive in the last laps. I was gaining and gaining but it wasn’t enough to be in front. I tried on the second last lap to go but I touched him. It was a bit on the limit to recover and he was too far away. I’m happy with second position. I gave my maximum. Let’s move on to Assen.”
The crowd at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
2023 German GP sets attendance records
The 2023 Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland will go down in history not only for the incredible battles on track, but also the incredible attendance. 233,196 fans flooded through the gates during the weekend, and nearly 100,000 attended on Sunday alone. That’s the biggest crowd MotoGP™ has ever welcomed at the Sachsenring… and it makes it the best-attended sporting event in Germany!
Pedro Acosta (37). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Acosta unstoppable at the Sachsenring, Arbolino just holds off Dixon for second
The winning form continues, but so does the points advantage for Arbolino as the duel rolls on to Assen
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claimed a stunning victory at the Sachsenring to close the gap in the Championship standings at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Key rival and World Championship leader Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was forced to settle for second but the Italian limited the damage by fending off Jake Dixon (Polarcube GASGAS Aspar Team) as the Brit hunted down Arbolino in the second half of the 25-lap encounter.
Arbolino got the holeshot at the start but his lead did not last long as Acosta responded on the opening lap at Turn 12. The pair then immediately broke away from the chasing pack but were rarely separated by more than a few tenths in the first three laps. However, a series of fastest laps by Acosta, in the 1:23s, allowed him to pull out a half-a-second gap over his title rival by the end of Lap 4. By Lap 6, the gap between Acosta and Arbolino was over a second for the first time and the Spaniard’s pace showed no signs of letting up.
While Acosta checked out at the front with a 2.6s gap at the halfway stage, Arbolino had to start looking over his shoulder as Dixon charged towards him. The Brit reduced the gap to under a second on Lap 14 as he set his sights on second place after having to battle back from fifth after losing out in the early stages.
Having started from third, Dixon found himself behind Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) and Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors SpeedUp) on Lap 2. He re-passed Lopez for fourth on Lap 3 before being promoted back to the podium places on Lap 6 when Canet crashed at Turn 13, rider ok.
Dixon was able to catch the World Championship leader but Arbolino started to extend the gap over the Brit during the final five laps. Dixon responded on Lap 22, however, and it was back down to just a few tenths. The battle raged on during the final lap but Arbolino was able to hold on over the line, taking second and those 20 points by only 0.095. Dixon narrowly missed out on second but still claimed another podium in Germany as he hunts a better finish than P3.
Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) claimed a somewhat lonely fourth place for his best result of the season. The Thai rider was six seconds away from the podium, but he was also three seconds clear of the group behind him. That group was led by Lopez who finished fifth as he pulled out a gap of over a second on Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 MasterCamp) in sixth. Gonzalez started from 12th but repeated his strong showing from Friday to secure a top-six finish.
Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was part of the battle for fifth place but he had to settle for seventh, ahead of Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors SpeedUp) in eighth. Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took ninth and Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing) rounded out the top ten, but it could have been different after the trio had a fierce fight in the closing stages.
Aldeguer moved into eighth when he went up the inside of Arenas at Turn 1 on Lap 19, before Vietti followed him through in the first sector to demote Arenas to tenth. However, Arenas and Vietti switched positions again to give the Spaniard ninth.
Moto2™ is back in just one week as the MotoGP™ paddock heads from Germany to the Netherlands! Make sure to join us for more action from the iconic TT Circuit Assen next weekend.
Deniz Oncu (53) leading Ayumu Sasaki (71). Photo courtesy Dorna.
Öncü takes maiden win with a last corner dive on Sasaki
It went to the wire as the two disappeared for a race-long chess match, with another duel deciding the podium as Holgado holds off Ortola
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is now a Grand Prix winner! The Turk has been close before but the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland finally saw him take to the top step and in some style after a last lap, last corner dive up the inside on race-long leader Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP). Sasaki was forced to settle for second but put in another stellar podium for another podium, with a duel also deciding third as Dani Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) held off Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team).
Sasaki didn’t get the best launch as rookie teammate Collin Veijer shot off the line, but the number 71 was soon through into the lead despite the best efforts of an aggressive Öncü. As the first few laps ticked down, the Japanese rider, who was more than a second clear in qualifying, started to make a gap at the front too, leaving Öncü vs Holgado vs Ortola as the fight for the rest of the podium places.
Lap by lap, however, Öncü was able to pull away from the fight and start to home in on Sasaki. And so it became a duel, and a chess match to the finish. Massaging his cramping leg as Öncü tucked in behind the Husqvarna and then closing back in for the last lap, everyone – including Sasaki – knew it was coming. But when? It went right down to the final corner as the Turkish rider dived up the inside and somehow got it stopped, able to pin it to the line and take his first Grand Prix win after getting so, so close on a good few occasions.
Sasaki was forced to settle for second after a race-long stint at the front, with the duel for third also going to the wire. In the end, Holgado had just enough to hold off Ortola, the Championship leader increasing that lead once again after nearly the whole race spent looking in his metaphorical mirrors.
Behind the fight right at the front, it was a group battle to the line and rookie David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) came out on top. Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) took sixth ahead of Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) and Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team), with Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) taking his first top ten in P10. Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) is classified P11 after a one-position penalty for exceeding track limits on the last lap.
David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) sliced up to P12 despite his back of the grid and Long Lap penalty, finishing a little distance ahead of a group comprising Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Kaito Toba (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Andrea Migno (CIP Green Power) as they completed the points.
There was early heartbreak for Veijer he crashed out early on despite that great start, and Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team) also crashed out of top ten contention in the latter stages.
That’s it from the Sachsenring and we have a new Grand Prix winner! Come back for more Moto3™ in just a few days’ time as the iconic TT Circuit Assen welcomes us to the Netherlands next weekend.
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