Americans Max Toth, Kaleb De Keyrel, and Dr. Carl Price, MD, are racing in the CIV (Italian) Aprilia RS 660 Cup season finale this weekend at Imola, in Italy.
Toth, the current Aprilia RS 660 Cup Championship point leader, won Race One on Saturday. De Keyrel, the 2021 MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Champion, took fifth. And Price, the MotoAmerica Medical Officer, finished 15th.
Apr Cup R1
Americans Max Toth, Kaleb De Keyrel, and Dr. Carl Price, MD, are racing in the CIV (Italian) Aprilia RS 660 Cup season finale this weekend at Imola, in Italy.
Toth, the current Aprilia RS 660 Cup Championship point leader was fastest in final qualifying on Saturday. De Keyrel, the 2021 MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Champion, was fourth-fastest in Q2. And Price, the MotoAmerica Medical Officer, was 15th-quickest on Saturday.
Apr Cup Q2
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
With standard Pirelli tyres Razgatlioglu “flies” at Portimão in Race 1
The Turkish rider relinquishes pole position to Jonathan Rea but wins WorldSBK Race 1, historic victory for Manzi and Triumph in WorldSSP and it’s the WorldSSP300 championship title for Alvaro Diaz
FOCUS ON SUPERPOLE
WorldSBK (asphalt: 36° C / air: 27° C)
After being fastest in the free practice sessions on Friday, in qualifying Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) seemed to be well on his way to taking pole position in the Pirelli Portuguese Round of the FIM World Superbike Championship but it was six-time world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who managed to gain the upper hand, snatching the top time from the Turkish rider by less than two tenths of a second and setting the new track record. Rounding out the front row was the Northern Irishman’s teammate, Alex Lowes, with the third best time. Qualifying fourth was Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). In Superpole, Rea, like all the riders, used the SCX rear solution which allowed him to do more than one second better than the record Razgatlioglu had set in 2021 on the SCQ compound, one step softer than the SCX.
WorldSSP (asphalt: 32° C / air: 25° C)
Defending World Champion Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) took pole position on the Portuguese circuit with a time of 1’43.065 – the new track record, almost one second faster than the previous record set by Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) in 2021. This is the Swiss rider’s tenth pole position of the year and his 30th in WorldSSP, whereas the Frenchman will start from the front row of the grid after qualifying with the third best time. Aegerter will start ahead of Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing). All the riders used standard SC0 tyres at the rear and SC1 at the front.
WorldSSP300 (asphalt: 28° C / air: 23° C)
Dirk Geiger (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) took his first pole position in WorldSSP300, snatching the top spot from current championship leader, Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team), by just 9 thousandths of a second. With a time of 1’55.008, the German Kawasaki rider also set the new Portimão record for the 300 class.
TYRES IN ACTION IN RACE 1
WorldSBK (asphalt: 41° C / air: 27° C)
The race was reduced to 14 laps because of delays due to a grave accident in WorldSSP300. Tyre choice was rather balanced: at the front, 17 riders chose the A0674 development SC1 (option C) and 9 went with the standard SC1 (option B). As for the rear, 17 were on the standard SC0 (option B) and 9 were on the B0624 development SC0 solution (option A). Worth a mention is that on the front two rows, only pole man Jonathan Rea mounted the SC0 B0624 on the rear. The Northern Irishman started well from pole position and managed to hold onto the race lead until the 5th lap but Toprak Razgatlioglu had a bit more, managing to overtake him for the race win. Álvaro Bautista, starting from the fourth spot on the grid, first successfully fended off attacks by teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) to defend third place and then, in the finale, he launched his own attack against the Northern Irishman, overtaking him on the xx lap. This relegated Rea to third place and the bottom step of the podium. Fourth place went to Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), the best of the private team riders. Using a standard SC0 tyre at the rear and a standard SC1 at the front, the same that any rider can purchase, Razgatlioglu also set the new race lap record with a time of 1’40.328 on the third lap.
WorldSSP (asphalt: 43° C / air: 27° C)
In Race 1 it was a historic victory for Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph) who gave Triumph their first ever win in the WorldSSP category. It was an all-Italian podium with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) finishing second and Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) on the third step. Pole man and current championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) only managed fourth. In this race, all the riders used standard tyres – SC0 at the rear and SC1 at the front.
For more details on the tyres used in the race by the individual riders in the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes, please see the sheets attached to this press release.
WorldSSP300 (asphalt: 38° C / air: 25° C)
WorldSSP300 had everyone on the edge of their seats with a serious accident involving Dutchman Victor Steeman, air lifted to hospital via helicopter. As the only potential title contender, Steeman’s crash left the world championship title to Spaniard Alvaro Diaz. After stopping the race, the organisers decided to reduce the distance to 8 laps to be held at the end of the day. The race was won by pole man Dirk Geiger (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) whereas Diaz, finishing seventh, celebrated the world championship title.
GIORGIO BARBIER, MOTORCYCLE RACING DIRECTOR
“From a technical point of view we are satisfied with the results we say on the track today. The lap records were broken in all the categories. Razgatlioglu managed to improve on his own record from last year in Superpole with the SCQ qualifying tyre, already in the FP3 session this morning with the standard SC0 which is two steps harder than the SCQ. Then, in Superpole, he was even faster on the SCX, beating last year’s record by more than half a second. The cherry on top came in the race – once again from Toprak – with the new fast lap record and, even more significant, he did it with standard tyres, which is to say, the exact same DIABLO Superbike tyres, in SC0 compound at the rear and SC1 at the front, that any rider can purchase for use on the track. Congratulations to Alvaro Diaz for winning the WorldSSP300 championship title.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Unable to Maximise Full Potential in Portimao Race 1
GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s Garrett Gerloff crossed the line for a 10th-place finish in Race 1 at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, with Kohta Nozane missing out on points.
The two riders returned to action this morning for Free Practice 3, where both were looking for pace. Gerloff set the 10th fastest time on a 1’41.029, while his Japanese teammate was 21st (1’42.573).
In the Tissot Superpole, the American rider went faster but unfortunately couldn’t manage better than 11th on the grid. On the other side of the garage, Nozane improved his lap time by 1.252s to go 18th.
Afterwards, in the shortened Race 1 (14 laps), both GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team riders made a decent start, with the #3 enjoying an especially strong first lap, gaining three positions.
Gerloff made his way into contention for eighth place, fighting with the likes of Honda’s Xavi Vierge and BMW’s Loris Baz, eventually crossing the line in 10th. Nozane struggled in the latter stages of the race to finish 20th.
The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team will be back in Portimao tomorrow for the Superpole Race at 11:00 (WEST) and Race 2 at 14:00.
Garrett Gerloff: P10
“Well, it wasn’t the easiest day for us. The bike improved for sure and I didn’t feel bad, but unfortunately the qualifying position wasn’t the best. Then, in Race 1, I was able to make a couple of passes but I also struggled to find places to overtake. So, we’re inside the top 10 but that’s not where we want to be. We know our potential is higher and we’ll try to show it tomorrow.”
Kohta Nozane: P20
“In the Tissot Superpole we made a huge improvement, even though the crash was a shame as I felt I could be even faster. I’m really sorry to the team for that, the guys had to work hard to build the bike for the race. I had a good start and tried to fight for a points-paying position, but unfortunately I struggled in the latter stages and dropped places. We’ll try again on Sunday!”
More, from another press release issued by Yamaha:
Razgatlıoğlu Wins Shortened Portimão Race 1
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK’s Toprak Razgatlıoğlu took a dominant win in Race 1 of the ninth round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal today.
Another record-breaking Superpole qualifying saw Razgatlıoğlu net P2 and Andrea Locatelli equalling a career-best P4, after the Yamaha official teammates went 1-2 respectively in this morning’s final Free Practice 3 session.
Then, as Race 1 was delayed and then shortened to 14-laps due to an incident in WorldSSP300, the defending WorldSBK Champion rode a text-book “Toprak-style” race as he followed and watched Jonathan Rea in the opening laps before passing the Kawasaki rider into Turn 1 on Lap 5. He also set a new record-fastest race lap on Lap 3 of 1’40.328.
For Locatelli, a hectic start saw him pushed back to P7 and delayed by Scott Redding, but the Italian rider locked onto the back of the BMW rider to take P6 on Lap 4. As the pace increased at the front, “Loka” lost the front group but, with the help of his #55 crew, hopes to be able to take another step tomorrow.
Sunday will see Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK start a 15-minute Warm-Up session at 09:00 (WEST, UTC+1) before the 10-lap Superpole Race at 11:00 and 21-lap Race 2 from 14:00.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – Race 1: P1
“I like this circuit and this weekend we start very strong – also thanks to my team because I am feeling the bike is perfect and we were able to ride well and finish at the front! Today we win, but we are not really happy because of the big crash in WorldSSP300 today, and now we are waiting for good news about Victor Steeman.”
Andrea Locatelli – Race 1: P6
“In the end it’s not the best result that I want to get but it was a good race and the rhythm compared to yesterday was much better and my rhythm was fast – but we need to work for tomorrow and to prepare the bike to find something to be a little faster especially in the first part of the race, this is important to fight for a good position. In general, I am happy with how it is going because we are fast in every session – this is a good point for me and for my crew. Like everyone in the team, I am hoping for positive news about Victor Steeman.”
Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK:
“After today’s long delays, both riders kept their heads together and the team did a great job to make sure the bikes were as good as they could be for the shortened 14-lap race. Toprak did exactly what he said he was going to do, manage the situation carefully for two or three laps and then push – and it was good enough to win. Congratulations to him and his team, a great performance and equally, there are some improvements that we feel we can make for tomorrow’s 20-lap Race 2. Loka rode a great race, got a bit hung up with Scott Redding for a few laps which cost him a fair bit of time. But after he passed Scott, his rhythm was really good and that’s his best main race for a long time. It should really help him grow his confidence going into tomorrow and the rest of the season. On behalf of everyone in our team and at Yamaha, we extend our best wishes and support to Victor Steeman and his family, as we keep our fingers crossed for positive news after his accident in the WorldSSP300 race.”
More, from a press release issued by Team HRC:
Vierge and Lecuona show fighting spirit to place 8th and 11th in a shortened race 1 at Portimão
As round nine of the Superbike World Championship continues at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Team HRC riders Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona have now completed the first of the weekend’s three races. Having wrestled all race long with a combination of unexpected difficulties, their race results – eighth and eleventh – speak volume about the young rookies’ fighting spirit and commitment.
After making some final adjustments during the third and final practice session, a session in which the entire field was able to set quicker times than yesterday, Team HRC headed out on track for Superpole. With just fifteen minutes in which to make an impression, Lecuona pushed hard to set 1’40.342 in the opening minutes. This remained his fastest time, enough for him to place tenth in a particularly tight battle that saw the top thirteen riders all within one second, meaning a fourth row start on the race 1 grid. Team-mate Vierge finished just three tenths behind (1’40.624) in thirteenth place, for a fifth-row start.
An incident during the SSP300 race meant that the first of the weekend’s two Superbike races got underway more than an hour later than scheduled, at 15.15 local time (CET-1). The delay meant that it was also necessary to shorten the race, from an originally planned 20 laps to just 14 laps. Lecuona lost a little ground off the line to find himself thirteenth through the first corners, while Vierge made a very strong start from the fifth row of the grid, moving up into tenth place through the first turns. Iker was soon up behind his team-mate, the Team HRC duo lapping with similar times to each other. Seven laps in and Vierge gained a position while Lecuona slipped one place back. Xavi was able to defend his position all the way to the line to finish eighth and earn a handful of precious championship points. In the final laps it became increasingly difficult for Iker to maintain strong pace, but he kept battling hard against the riders in his group until the very last corner, ultimately crossing the line eleventh.
Xavi Vierge 97
P8
“It has been a difficult day for us, but our attitude is to learn and find the positives in every situation. Here we tried something on the bike that for sure is a step in the direction we want to go, but at the same time we were lacking a little in what is one of usually our strongest points, confidence with the front, which is quite important. So, the positive is that even with some unexpected issues we could run a solid race, and that we now have all afternoon to analyze the data and work to find good front feeling for tomorrow’s races. Thanks to the whole squad for their hard work and I send my prayers and best wishes to Victor Steeman who was injured in the Supersport 300 race.”
Iker Lecuona 7
P11
“What can we say about today? Not what we expected or what we’re working towards of course. In this morning’s final free practice session, I felt good enough on the bike, testing tuning for the race and the soft tyre compound that I didn’t use yesterday. In the Superpole we weren’t able to fully exploit the extra grip of the qualifying tyre. We need to improve the setup to do that, so I would say that P10 is about right, considering how close the gaps were. But going into the race I was expecting much more, because our pace during the weekend hasn’t been bad at all, honestly. But the race got underway in warmer conditions than we saw in previous sessions, and I struggled a lot with the feeling in relation to every aspect of the bike setup. Not an easy race, and the fact it was shortened meant that when I did make a couple of small mistakes, I had no time to recover. It’s never easy to fight further back, but nevertheless I battled until the last corner for that eleventh place. I’m a fighter, but I know I need to adapt my mentality and be patient as I keep working for the future. Finally, and importantly, I want to send my best wishes to Victor Steeman. We all hope to hear good news soon.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Takes Another Podium Finish
A shorter than expected opening WorldSBK race at Portimao delivered a third place finish to Jonathan Rea, with his KRT team-mate Alex Lowes in fifth place after 14 laps of the 4.592km long circuit in Portugal.
Rea was in imperious form long before the start of the delayed and then reduced duration first WorldSBK race of the weekend. He secured his fifth Superpole win of the year, and the 40th of his career, with a new track best of 1’39.610. Rea smashed the previous record despite there being no SCQ qualifying tyres available for all the riders this weekend.
Rea started well from pole position and led the first five laps until he was passed by eventual race winner Toprak Razgatlioglu. With five laps of the 14 to go Alvaro Bautista came through, then ran wide, allowing Rea to reassert himself in second place for a short time. Bautista passed on the main straight on the next lap and Rea would end up third at the flag.
Lowes was on very strong form in Superpole qualifying, joining Rea in the new ‘sub-1.40’ club with his 1’39.859 – good enough for third place on the starting grid.
Lowes was second across the start/finish line on lap one but was fourth on the next lap. He would end up fifth at the flag, fighting with Axel Bassani all the way. Alex was only 0.091 seconds from a top four finish in another strong battle near the front fo the field.
Now Lowes and Rea will face the ten-lap Tissot-Superpole Race and a full distance Race Two on Sunday 9 October.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “The Superpole lap was incredible. When the bike had grip I felt I got everything out of the lap. Aside from a little slide on the final corner it was perfect. It was nice to get that and when you are competing at the front that launch from pole position is everything. I got a good start that I was happy with. I went with the harder option rear tyre, of a stiffer construction, and that was always in the plan after a long run yesterday. I knew it would potentially be a bit more competitive than the SC0 tyre. When the race changed to 14 laps, not 21, it changed our strategy a little bit. We stuck to our guns and raced the harder option. In hindsight I just missed a little bit of grip, especially in the middle part of the race, when the first drop of the tyre came. I made a couple of small mistakes and Toprak broke the tow a little. Then Alvaro was coming, with a good pace. I couldn’t fight with him as he took so much time out of me in sector four and the beginning of sector one. I was riding on my limit just to keep the gap.”
Alex Lowes, stated: “I wanted to go under 1’40 in Superpole so to achieve that was really good. I think any time you are with Johnny, Toprak or Alvaro you are riding quite well. In the race I had a good start but on a full tank of fuel I was struggling to stop at the beginning. In the race itself I felt quite good and I had decent pace. Maybe on lap six, seven, eight, I thought I needed to relax a bit because the rear tyre was dropping. I came strong again at the end and had a good battle with Axel. Hopefully we can improve the braking a bit for Sunday so that I can fight a little bit more. Honestly, without this fight, I felt my pace was a little bit faster; quite strong. Because we went from the planned 21 laps to 14, I had already changed the front tyre choice. I went to the SC1 to give me a bit more grip. I think this was a good choice.”
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 13th and in the points in Race One, with Oliver König (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 24th today. Leon Haslam (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) had to retire with a technical issue.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Bautista conquers valuable second place on difficult Saturday at Portimao. Rinaldi finishes in P7. Bulega makes up 17 places from last on the grid and takes the final point
Everything happens on Saturday at Portimao. First a chaotic Superpole: a yellow flag cancelled the best lap to many riders, before giving back the fourth place to Bautista. Then a serious incident in the Superport 300 race caused the Superbike race to be delayed by almost two hours and to be reduced to 14 laps.
This time Alvaro Bautista is not super-brilliant at the start and finds himself in fifth position. The Spaniard battled first with Lowes (Kawasaki) and then Bassani (Ducati) to get into the slipstream of the leading pair of Rea (Kawasaki) and Razgatlioglu (Yamaha). With three laps to go Bautista overtakes Rea but then he loses a few metres: this move prevents him from attacking Razgatlioglu for the win.
Michael Rinaldi (P9 on the grid) chooses the softer tyre, which, however, does not give the hoped-for benefits. The Italian rider is unable to have an incisive race pace and he finishes in seventh position.
P2 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19)
“It was a good race even if there is a hint of regret because I knew I was really competitive in the second half. We missed those six laps, but it’s also true that the difficult start, the battle with Bassani and the mistake to overtake Rea made me lose metres on Razgatlioglu. However, the feeling remains extremely positive ahead of tomorrow’s races”.
P7 – Michael Rinaldi (aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“I’m pretty disappointed with this race. Unfortunately, we had a problem in FP3 that didn’t allow us to work. We also lost an important session to understand which was the best tyre for the race. The choice we made did not turn out to be the best one. It’s a shame because the feeling on Friday was very good. Tomorrow I definitely want to try again and stay at the front”.
WorldSSP
Nicolò Bulega had to deal with a problem with his Ducati Panigale V2 that prevented him from taking part in Superpole. Starting from 32nd position, the Aruba.it Racing WSSP rider makes up position after position and eventually finishes 15th, gaining at least one point.
P15 – Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WSSP #11)
“It goes without saying that the problem in qualifying heavily conditioned today’s race and it will condition tomorrow’s. I tried to push hard right from the first laps but I lost too much time to get past the first group. I will try to do better tomorrow even though it won’t be easy”.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Razgatlioglu wins shortened Race 1 at Portimao, Bautista and Rea complete the podium
The Turkish rider claimed his first win since Magny-Cours to close the gap to Bautista in the Championship standings
Race 1 highlights – WorldSBK
*Race distance was reduced to 14 laps with Race 1 being delayed due to not having the medical helicopter onsite following an incident in WorldSSP300 Race 1.
P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Razgatlioglu claimed Race 1 victory finishing 0.657s ahead of Bautista. It was his 27th WorldSBK win.
Following Race 1, he remains second in the Championship standings 54 points behind Bautista.
“Firstly, I say I like this circuit and we are very strong from the start. Thanks to my team because they did an incredible job. My feeling with the bike is perfect. Today, we were able to win. We are winning again. We take good points from the Championship. In the first laps I am waiting, and after that I started riding. The race was not easy because I was fighting with Jonny and also Alvaro was coming. In the last few laps, I wasn’t taking risks. The race was not easy, but I know my race pace, usually, is very fast with the SC0 tyre. I’m just riding in my style and in the last four or five laps, I saw the gap get bigger.”
P2 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
After battling with Rea in the latter stages of the race, Bautista took second place in Race 1.
His Championship lead is now of 54 points ahead of Razgatlioglu.
“Today I’m happy with the performance of race even if I made two important mistakes in the race, in this short race as in the end we missed six laps. For us it was important, because normally I feel very strong in the second part of the race but today, it didn’t happen. In any case, I had a bad start and lost some positions. I had to battle to stay behind Toprak and Jonathan. Then I saw that I was maybe a couple of tenths faster than them. But then Toprak went faster. I tried to pass Jonathan to catch Toprak, but I made my second mistake of the race. When I passed Jonathan, I braked too late in Turn 1 and I missed the corner and went out. I lost time and the chance to catch Toprak because there were not enough laps left. In any case, I’m happy because we were quite competitive, I felt good on the bike. Tomorrow, I try to keep this feeling with the bike.”
P3 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Rea completed the Race 1 podium, finishing 3.032s behind Razgatlioglu. It was his 22nd podium place at Portimao.
He is third in the standings, 71 points behind Bautista and 17 points behind Razgatlioglu.
“I’m a little bit disappointed to be honest because we had a really good pace when the tyre was new but as soon as our tyre dropped a little bit, I really struggled with entering the corners and also in that first part of acceleration. I was with the harder rear tyre option. We set the bike for the longer race. Maybe going with that SC0 option like the front two guys was the way forward. But I have to be happy with my race. I gave everything I could. We have a good idea of where to improve for tomorrow.”
P4 – Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing)
Having just committed for another season with Motocorsa Racing in 2023, Bassani delivered a fourth place finish after a last lap battle with Lowes.
“Today was a really good race. We finished fourth. It’s a really nice result, I wanted this top five and we’re here. I’m happy with the job we did this weekend with my team. We improved every practice but I want a podium. Today I was really close to the podium, I was really close today and tomorrow I’ll try to get it.”
P5 – Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
After battling with Bassani, Lowes was fifth in Race 1 and crossed the finish line 0.091s behind the Italian rider.
“It was a good battle. I had some good fun in the last few laps with Axel. I tried to pass him but he passed me back. In the last lap he didn’t make any mistake anywhere. He’s riding really well. I just couldn’t find a part of the track where I had an advantage to pass him. And in general, today I’ve been happy with my Superpole performance. In the race, the pace was faster than I expected. I was able to hang in there a bit and I think I can improve a little bit on the braking. I enjoyed the race and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
P6 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Locatelli completed the Race 1 top six, finishing 8.805s behind his teammate.
“In the end, it’s not the result you want to get but, in the end, I had a really good race. The rhythm was much better than yesterday and really fast. For sure, we need to work for tomorrow to prepare the bike and find something to be faster especially in the first part of the race, because it’s important for me to fight for a good position. But in general, I’m happy because I had a great weekend. We are always fast.”
To note:
The first Honda rider was Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) in 8th place, whilst the first BMW rider was Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) in 9th.
WorldSBK action resumes on Sunday from 09:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole Race at 11:00 and Race 2 at 15:15.
Americans Max Toth, Kaleb De Keyrel, and Dr. Carl Price, MD, are racing in the CIV (Italian) Aprilia RS 660 Cup season finale this weekend at Imola, in Italy.
Toth, the current Aprilia RS 660 Cup Championship point leader was fastest in provisional qualifying on Friday. De Keyrel, the 2021 MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Champion, was fourth-fastest. And Price, the MotoAmerica Medical Officer, was 17th-quickest on Friday.
Apr Cup Q1
Attack The World! – Friday, Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimao, Portugal
Copyright 2022, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
by Michael Gougis
At least the bikes got to the track on time.
Delays in getting the bikes through customs meant that the Attack Racing equipment made it to the track far later than the team wanted. Endless debates about what kind of plane the team’s Yamaha YZF-R1s had to fly on, nomenclature on the forms, a midnight run to get the tractor-semi trailer – at the end of it all, Attack’s Richard Stanboli was convinced that the customs officials were just making things up to delay the process.
But when practice opened on Friday, two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne was on the track and mixing it up with the world’s best Superbike racers. At the end of FP1, Gagne was 18th, 2.114 seconds off of Michael Rinaldi’s quickest time, but sandwiched between former British Superbike Champion Leon Haslam – a racer who has won multiple Superbike World Championship races and the Suzuka 8-Hours three times – and Lucas Mahias, a racer who has won the Endurance World Championship and the Supersport World Championship.
The temperature rose for Free Practice Two, and while Gagne improved his time, he was still 2.040 seconds behind the quickest rider of the session, Yamaha factory rider and defending Superbike World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu.
After a debrief, Stanboli summarized the challenge facing the team as a matter of dialing in the electronics – specifically the engine braking. When the engine braking isn’t right, the rider isn’t confident on the front – and when they’re not confident on the front, it’s difficult to get the engine braking right. “It’s a chicken-and-egg thing,” Stanboli said.
Fellow American and Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff flew in the cooler conditions of the morning, his 1:41.082 quick enough to remain third after the times from both practice sessions were combined.
Gerloff was asked about how he was enjoying having Gagne in the paddock this weekend, and said that he and Gagne were having fun, lunching together, and talking about the circuit.
Gerloff summed up the attitude of the professional racer who can be friendly but still knows what his job is.
“I want him to do well,” Gerloff said of Gagne. “I just don’t want him to beat me.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Calatayud Secures Inaugural R3 SuperFinale Pole at Portimão
18-year-old Spaniard Unai Calatayud starred on Friday to claim pole position in the first edition of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European SuperFinale held at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, with the front row separated by just 0.248s.
Taking place at the final European round of the WorldSBK season in Portugal, the R3 Superfinale offers the winner a Yamaha-supported ride in the 2023 R3 bLU cRU European Cup, with 25 riders from 12 different countries competing in the inaugural event. Two races are scheduled for Saturday, with 25-points up for grabs in each to decide who comes out on top, while Friday saw the riders aged between 14-20 participate in Free Practice and Qualifying at the 4.6km Portimão circuit.
Local hero David Da Costa (14) led the way during the morning’s 30-minute Free Practice session, as he set a 2:02.622 to head the field by 0.230s from Spaniard Javier Corral Arias (19), with Italian Emiliano Ercolani (17) in third.
With 30 minutes on the clock for Qualifying, Da Costa again set the early pace, but he would become involved in a battle for pole position with Spanish rider Calatayud, despite a red flag early in the session leading to delay. The duo exchanged the top spot on the timesheets several times before Calatayud set a 2:00.877 on his 11th lap to claim the first-ever Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European SuperFinale pole position.
Da Costa responded late on with a 2:01.098 to finish 0.221s behind in second, with Ercolani backing up his pace in the earlier Free Practice session to secure the final spot on the front row, 0.027s further back.
Spaniard Javier Corral Arias heads up the second row, ahead of his compatriot, and the leading female rider, Natalia Rivera Rasel (16), in fifth, with Mohammed Abdalaziz Binladin (14) from Saudi Arabia sixth fastest. The third row consists of Italian Emanuele Cazzaniga (19), Gonzalo Meléndez (14) from Spain, and Brazilian Kaywan Friere Da Costa (19), with Kayla Yaakov (15) from the USA making it six different nationalities in the top ten.
The battle to be crowned the first ever Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European SuperFinale winner kicks off with Race 1 on Saturday at 11:45 am local time (UTC+1), followed by Race 2 at 16:15.
Unai Catalayud – P1 (2:00.877)
Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European SuperFinale Rider
“It was a tricky qualifying, especially with the red flag meaning we had to stop and start again. Despite this, I had an excellent feeling with my R3 and managed to get into a group with some fast riders in front of me so I could take advantage of the slipstream and set my fastest time. I think it will be close in the race tomorrow, as there are some very fast riders, but I am confident I can battle at the front!”
On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 28, Hurricane Ian made landfall on the southwest coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds over 130 mph pushing a strong storm surge of sea water onshore.
The first pieces of land to experience the powerful center of this storm were Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island.
Sanibel Island is a low-lying barrier island that is about 15 miles long, four miles wide, and home to about 6,400 residents, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. Four of those residents are 1991 AMA Superbike Champion and former MotoAmerica official Thomas Stevens, his wife Linda, and his teenage sons, Brandon (16) and Dylan (13).
And instead of heeding the government’s warning to evacuate low-lying coastal areas of Florida ahead of the hurricane’s arrival, Stevens and his family were some of only a few hundred people, according to CNN, who decided to shelter in place and ride the storm out in their home on the island.
“I’ll never make that mistake again,” Stevens told Roadracingworld.com in a telephone interview October 6. “It was rocking and shaking pretty good. It was as bad as it could get. You’ve seen the pictures on the news. Let’s just say we did a lot of praying, and we normally don’t pray too much.”
Stevens didn’t make his decision lightly, as he said he had experienced two other powerful hurricanes in the past and felt he and his home were prepared for what was to come.
“I have a two-level stilt home. That’s what most of the newer-construction homes are. There’s no ground level. My house is lifted about 12 feet on stilts,” said Stevens. “I’ve been prepping for a long time. I have a generator that I can plug into my house. I have hurricane windows and hurricane doors. I’ve put a ton of money into my house just so to be able to sustain a storm, because I don’t want to lose my structure. But it got pretty hairy.
“We knew there was flooding coming because we were still getting reports. Then my son goes, ‘Holy sh-t, Dad! Look outside.’ We had six inches of water outside.
“I said, ‘We’ve got to get the generator.’
“So, we ran downstairs, because the generator was running outside. I grabbed my generator and by the time I got it in the door of my (ground-level) basement there was two feet of water. By the time I got it around and inside we had three feet of water outside and eight inches of water in my [ground-level] basement. But we had to save the generator.
“At about that point, my garage door gave way, and the five feet of water that was outside came inside. But we got the generator upstairs (and out on a porch when running), and I had 20 gallons of fuel.
“Then, the water got really high and submerged our vehicles downstairs. It was pretty hairy at that point. We didn’t know how high it was going to go.”
After several tense hours, “Good things started happening,” said Stevens. “We were looking at the water [level], and my son goes, ‘Dad, I think the water’s going out a little bit.’ And sure enough it went down about two inches and it kept going down. So, at that point we knew we were going to make it.
“We went to bed, but I didn’t sleep real good that night. Early in the morning I got up and looked outside and I could see dry land. Then once it got light outside, we got up and started riding our bicycles around the island to see if anyone needed our help.
“We found this elderly couple. They were sitting on their steps in a daze. They asked if we could move the 6 x 6 (-inch) post that had busted through the windshield of their car before it busted through the back window.
“I just looked at her and said, ‘Ma’am, your vehicles are no good anymore.’
“She said, ‘How are we going to get out of here? I could just drive us out.’
“I said, ‘It’s not going to start, and you do realize that we don’t have a causeway anymore, right?’”
What Stevens was referring to was the one and only causeway, a raised road with a series of bridges, connecting Sanibel Island with mainland Florida which had been washed away by the storm in multiple spots, leaving the island physically cut off.
The next day, Friday, September 30, the Coast Guard started doing search and rescue runs to the island using helicopters.
“They landed on the golf course, so we went over and talked with them. They were looking for people to evacuate,” said Stevens. “It was pretty cool. We were riding our bicycles back to the old couple’s house, and they were following us, flying 60 feet above us in their Blackhawk helicopter. The couple was still sitting there with half their roof missing.”
Stevens said once they helped evacuate people who needed it, they returned to his home and prepared to sustain themselves for as long as they could.
“A lot of my dirt bike riding stuff came into play,” said Stevens. “I have a solar shower to clean up after I ride and before I get back in my van for a six-hour drive home. Then in my van I have a portable potty. So, we brought that inside and used that because you couldn’t use the toilets.
“Racers are pretty prepared when it comes to having stuff, and I’ve been pretty prepared for a long time.
“Finding water was a big deal. I was able to get a neighbor’s jacuzzi going so I was able to sanitize the water in that so we had water. We went over to another neighbor’s house and his refrigerator was on its side, but the sea water hadn’t got inside. So, we took all his T-bones and steaks out of his fridge because that was all going to go bad. So, we ate every day. When you have power life is good, and when you don’t have power it’s pretty tough.”
Stevens and his family spent most of their time over the following days cleaning up the damage to his home, which was mostly limited to his ground-floor “basement.” Unfortunately, that area of Stevens’ house stored most of his stuff, including a Yamaha YZ450F supermotard bike that he had just fixed up to sell, his 2021 Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke motocrosser, most of his memorabilia from his Pro racing career, and a classic Jeep he had fixed up.
“That one hurts,” said Stevens, “but all that stuff is replaceable.”
Stevens and his family left Sanibel Island by boat on Wednesday, October 5, the same day President Joe Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the region together, and temporarily moved in with his in-laws. But he plans to return to the island on this weekend to continue cleaning up his and his neighbors’ homes.
“The Governor said the priority now is to get the causeway open again by the end of the month,” said Stevens. “’Whatever it takes, we’re going to get it open by the end of the month,’ he said. When that happens, they can get some heavy equipment in and start with the real cleanup.”
Asked how long he think it will take before things are back to normal on Sanibel Island, Stevens said, “Two years.”
Americans Max Toth, Kaleb De Keyrel, and Dr. Carl Price, MD, are racing in the CIV (Italian) Aprilia RS 660 Cup season finale this weekend at Imola, in Italy.
Toth, the current Aprilia RS 660 Cup Championship point leader, won Race One on Saturday. De Keyrel, the 2021 MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Champion, took fifth. And Price, the MotoAmerica Medical Officer, finished 15th.
Apr Cup R1
Americans Max Toth, Kaleb De Keyrel, and Dr. Carl Price, MD, are racing in the CIV (Italian) Aprilia RS 660 Cup season finale this weekend at Imola, in Italy.
Toth, the current Aprilia RS 660 Cup Championship point leader was fastest in final qualifying on Saturday. De Keyrel, the 2021 MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Champion, was fourth-fastest in Q2. And Price, the MotoAmerica Medical Officer, was 15th-quickest on Saturday.
Apr Cup Q2
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
With standard Pirelli tyres Razgatlioglu “flies” at Portimão in Race 1
The Turkish rider relinquishes pole position to Jonathan Rea but wins WorldSBK Race 1, historic victory for Manzi and Triumph in WorldSSP and it’s the WorldSSP300 championship title for Alvaro Diaz
FOCUS ON SUPERPOLE
WorldSBK (asphalt: 36° C / air: 27° C)
After being fastest in the free practice sessions on Friday, in qualifying Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) seemed to be well on his way to taking pole position in the Pirelli Portuguese Round of the FIM World Superbike Championship but it was six-time world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who managed to gain the upper hand, snatching the top time from the Turkish rider by less than two tenths of a second and setting the new track record. Rounding out the front row was the Northern Irishman’s teammate, Alex Lowes, with the third best time. Qualifying fourth was Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). In Superpole, Rea, like all the riders, used the SCX rear solution which allowed him to do more than one second better than the record Razgatlioglu had set in 2021 on the SCQ compound, one step softer than the SCX.
WorldSSP (asphalt: 32° C / air: 25° C)
Defending World Champion Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) took pole position on the Portuguese circuit with a time of 1’43.065 – the new track record, almost one second faster than the previous record set by Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) in 2021. This is the Swiss rider’s tenth pole position of the year and his 30th in WorldSSP, whereas the Frenchman will start from the front row of the grid after qualifying with the third best time. Aegerter will start ahead of Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing). All the riders used standard SC0 tyres at the rear and SC1 at the front.
WorldSSP300 (asphalt: 28° C / air: 23° C)
Dirk Geiger (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) took his first pole position in WorldSSP300, snatching the top spot from current championship leader, Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team), by just 9 thousandths of a second. With a time of 1’55.008, the German Kawasaki rider also set the new Portimão record for the 300 class.
TYRES IN ACTION IN RACE 1
WorldSBK (asphalt: 41° C / air: 27° C)
The race was reduced to 14 laps because of delays due to a grave accident in WorldSSP300. Tyre choice was rather balanced: at the front, 17 riders chose the A0674 development SC1 (option C) and 9 went with the standard SC1 (option B). As for the rear, 17 were on the standard SC0 (option B) and 9 were on the B0624 development SC0 solution (option A). Worth a mention is that on the front two rows, only pole man Jonathan Rea mounted the SC0 B0624 on the rear. The Northern Irishman started well from pole position and managed to hold onto the race lead until the 5th lap but Toprak Razgatlioglu had a bit more, managing to overtake him for the race win. Álvaro Bautista, starting from the fourth spot on the grid, first successfully fended off attacks by teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) to defend third place and then, in the finale, he launched his own attack against the Northern Irishman, overtaking him on the xx lap. This relegated Rea to third place and the bottom step of the podium. Fourth place went to Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), the best of the private team riders. Using a standard SC0 tyre at the rear and a standard SC1 at the front, the same that any rider can purchase, Razgatlioglu also set the new race lap record with a time of 1’40.328 on the third lap.
WorldSSP (asphalt: 43° C / air: 27° C)
In Race 1 it was a historic victory for Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph) who gave Triumph their first ever win in the WorldSSP category. It was an all-Italian podium with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) finishing second and Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) on the third step. Pole man and current championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) only managed fourth. In this race, all the riders used standard tyres – SC0 at the rear and SC1 at the front.
For more details on the tyres used in the race by the individual riders in the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes, please see the sheets attached to this press release.
WorldSSP300 (asphalt: 38° C / air: 25° C)
WorldSSP300 had everyone on the edge of their seats with a serious accident involving Dutchman Victor Steeman, air lifted to hospital via helicopter. As the only potential title contender, Steeman’s crash left the world championship title to Spaniard Alvaro Diaz. After stopping the race, the organisers decided to reduce the distance to 8 laps to be held at the end of the day. The race was won by pole man Dirk Geiger (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) whereas Diaz, finishing seventh, celebrated the world championship title.
GIORGIO BARBIER, MOTORCYCLE RACING DIRECTOR
“From a technical point of view we are satisfied with the results we say on the track today. The lap records were broken in all the categories. Razgatlioglu managed to improve on his own record from last year in Superpole with the SCQ qualifying tyre, already in the FP3 session this morning with the standard SC0 which is two steps harder than the SCQ. Then, in Superpole, he was even faster on the SCX, beating last year’s record by more than half a second. The cherry on top came in the race – once again from Toprak – with the new fast lap record and, even more significant, he did it with standard tyres, which is to say, the exact same DIABLO Superbike tyres, in SC0 compound at the rear and SC1 at the front, that any rider can purchase for use on the track. Congratulations to Alvaro Diaz for winning the WorldSSP300 championship title.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Unable to Maximise Full Potential in Portimao Race 1
GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s Garrett Gerloff crossed the line for a 10th-place finish in Race 1 at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, with Kohta Nozane missing out on points.
The two riders returned to action this morning for Free Practice 3, where both were looking for pace. Gerloff set the 10th fastest time on a 1’41.029, while his Japanese teammate was 21st (1’42.573).
In the Tissot Superpole, the American rider went faster but unfortunately couldn’t manage better than 11th on the grid. On the other side of the garage, Nozane improved his lap time by 1.252s to go 18th.
Afterwards, in the shortened Race 1 (14 laps), both GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team riders made a decent start, with the #3 enjoying an especially strong first lap, gaining three positions.
Gerloff made his way into contention for eighth place, fighting with the likes of Honda’s Xavi Vierge and BMW’s Loris Baz, eventually crossing the line in 10th. Nozane struggled in the latter stages of the race to finish 20th.
The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team will be back in Portimao tomorrow for the Superpole Race at 11:00 (WEST) and Race 2 at 14:00.
Garrett Gerloff: P10
“Well, it wasn’t the easiest day for us. The bike improved for sure and I didn’t feel bad, but unfortunately the qualifying position wasn’t the best. Then, in Race 1, I was able to make a couple of passes but I also struggled to find places to overtake. So, we’re inside the top 10 but that’s not where we want to be. We know our potential is higher and we’ll try to show it tomorrow.”
Kohta Nozane: P20
“In the Tissot Superpole we made a huge improvement, even though the crash was a shame as I felt I could be even faster. I’m really sorry to the team for that, the guys had to work hard to build the bike for the race. I had a good start and tried to fight for a points-paying position, but unfortunately I struggled in the latter stages and dropped places. We’ll try again on Sunday!”
More, from another press release issued by Yamaha:
Razgatlıoğlu Wins Shortened Portimão Race 1
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK’s Toprak Razgatlıoğlu took a dominant win in Race 1 of the ninth round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal today.
Another record-breaking Superpole qualifying saw Razgatlıoğlu net P2 and Andrea Locatelli equalling a career-best P4, after the Yamaha official teammates went 1-2 respectively in this morning’s final Free Practice 3 session.
Then, as Race 1 was delayed and then shortened to 14-laps due to an incident in WorldSSP300, the defending WorldSBK Champion rode a text-book “Toprak-style” race as he followed and watched Jonathan Rea in the opening laps before passing the Kawasaki rider into Turn 1 on Lap 5. He also set a new record-fastest race lap on Lap 3 of 1’40.328.
For Locatelli, a hectic start saw him pushed back to P7 and delayed by Scott Redding, but the Italian rider locked onto the back of the BMW rider to take P6 on Lap 4. As the pace increased at the front, “Loka” lost the front group but, with the help of his #55 crew, hopes to be able to take another step tomorrow.
Sunday will see Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK start a 15-minute Warm-Up session at 09:00 (WEST, UTC+1) before the 10-lap Superpole Race at 11:00 and 21-lap Race 2 from 14:00.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – Race 1: P1
“I like this circuit and this weekend we start very strong – also thanks to my team because I am feeling the bike is perfect and we were able to ride well and finish at the front! Today we win, but we are not really happy because of the big crash in WorldSSP300 today, and now we are waiting for good news about Victor Steeman.”
Andrea Locatelli – Race 1: P6
“In the end it’s not the best result that I want to get but it was a good race and the rhythm compared to yesterday was much better and my rhythm was fast – but we need to work for tomorrow and to prepare the bike to find something to be a little faster especially in the first part of the race, this is important to fight for a good position. In general, I am happy with how it is going because we are fast in every session – this is a good point for me and for my crew. Like everyone in the team, I am hoping for positive news about Victor Steeman.”
Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK:
“After today’s long delays, both riders kept their heads together and the team did a great job to make sure the bikes were as good as they could be for the shortened 14-lap race. Toprak did exactly what he said he was going to do, manage the situation carefully for two or three laps and then push – and it was good enough to win. Congratulations to him and his team, a great performance and equally, there are some improvements that we feel we can make for tomorrow’s 20-lap Race 2. Loka rode a great race, got a bit hung up with Scott Redding for a few laps which cost him a fair bit of time. But after he passed Scott, his rhythm was really good and that’s his best main race for a long time. It should really help him grow his confidence going into tomorrow and the rest of the season. On behalf of everyone in our team and at Yamaha, we extend our best wishes and support to Victor Steeman and his family, as we keep our fingers crossed for positive news after his accident in the WorldSSP300 race.”
More, from a press release issued by Team HRC:
Vierge and Lecuona show fighting spirit to place 8th and 11th in a shortened race 1 at Portimão
As round nine of the Superbike World Championship continues at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Team HRC riders Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona have now completed the first of the weekend’s three races. Having wrestled all race long with a combination of unexpected difficulties, their race results – eighth and eleventh – speak volume about the young rookies’ fighting spirit and commitment.
After making some final adjustments during the third and final practice session, a session in which the entire field was able to set quicker times than yesterday, Team HRC headed out on track for Superpole. With just fifteen minutes in which to make an impression, Lecuona pushed hard to set 1’40.342 in the opening minutes. This remained his fastest time, enough for him to place tenth in a particularly tight battle that saw the top thirteen riders all within one second, meaning a fourth row start on the race 1 grid. Team-mate Vierge finished just three tenths behind (1’40.624) in thirteenth place, for a fifth-row start.
An incident during the SSP300 race meant that the first of the weekend’s two Superbike races got underway more than an hour later than scheduled, at 15.15 local time (CET-1). The delay meant that it was also necessary to shorten the race, from an originally planned 20 laps to just 14 laps. Lecuona lost a little ground off the line to find himself thirteenth through the first corners, while Vierge made a very strong start from the fifth row of the grid, moving up into tenth place through the first turns. Iker was soon up behind his team-mate, the Team HRC duo lapping with similar times to each other. Seven laps in and Vierge gained a position while Lecuona slipped one place back. Xavi was able to defend his position all the way to the line to finish eighth and earn a handful of precious championship points. In the final laps it became increasingly difficult for Iker to maintain strong pace, but he kept battling hard against the riders in his group until the very last corner, ultimately crossing the line eleventh.
Xavi Vierge 97
P8
“It has been a difficult day for us, but our attitude is to learn and find the positives in every situation. Here we tried something on the bike that for sure is a step in the direction we want to go, but at the same time we were lacking a little in what is one of usually our strongest points, confidence with the front, which is quite important. So, the positive is that even with some unexpected issues we could run a solid race, and that we now have all afternoon to analyze the data and work to find good front feeling for tomorrow’s races. Thanks to the whole squad for their hard work and I send my prayers and best wishes to Victor Steeman who was injured in the Supersport 300 race.”
Iker Lecuona 7
P11
“What can we say about today? Not what we expected or what we’re working towards of course. In this morning’s final free practice session, I felt good enough on the bike, testing tuning for the race and the soft tyre compound that I didn’t use yesterday. In the Superpole we weren’t able to fully exploit the extra grip of the qualifying tyre. We need to improve the setup to do that, so I would say that P10 is about right, considering how close the gaps were. But going into the race I was expecting much more, because our pace during the weekend hasn’t been bad at all, honestly. But the race got underway in warmer conditions than we saw in previous sessions, and I struggled a lot with the feeling in relation to every aspect of the bike setup. Not an easy race, and the fact it was shortened meant that when I did make a couple of small mistakes, I had no time to recover. It’s never easy to fight further back, but nevertheless I battled until the last corner for that eleventh place. I’m a fighter, but I know I need to adapt my mentality and be patient as I keep working for the future. Finally, and importantly, I want to send my best wishes to Victor Steeman. We all hope to hear good news soon.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Takes Another Podium Finish
A shorter than expected opening WorldSBK race at Portimao delivered a third place finish to Jonathan Rea, with his KRT team-mate Alex Lowes in fifth place after 14 laps of the 4.592km long circuit in Portugal.
Rea was in imperious form long before the start of the delayed and then reduced duration first WorldSBK race of the weekend. He secured his fifth Superpole win of the year, and the 40th of his career, with a new track best of 1’39.610. Rea smashed the previous record despite there being no SCQ qualifying tyres available for all the riders this weekend.
Rea started well from pole position and led the first five laps until he was passed by eventual race winner Toprak Razgatlioglu. With five laps of the 14 to go Alvaro Bautista came through, then ran wide, allowing Rea to reassert himself in second place for a short time. Bautista passed on the main straight on the next lap and Rea would end up third at the flag.
Lowes was on very strong form in Superpole qualifying, joining Rea in the new ‘sub-1.40’ club with his 1’39.859 – good enough for third place on the starting grid.
Lowes was second across the start/finish line on lap one but was fourth on the next lap. He would end up fifth at the flag, fighting with Axel Bassani all the way. Alex was only 0.091 seconds from a top four finish in another strong battle near the front fo the field.
Now Lowes and Rea will face the ten-lap Tissot-Superpole Race and a full distance Race Two on Sunday 9 October.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “The Superpole lap was incredible. When the bike had grip I felt I got everything out of the lap. Aside from a little slide on the final corner it was perfect. It was nice to get that and when you are competing at the front that launch from pole position is everything. I got a good start that I was happy with. I went with the harder option rear tyre, of a stiffer construction, and that was always in the plan after a long run yesterday. I knew it would potentially be a bit more competitive than the SC0 tyre. When the race changed to 14 laps, not 21, it changed our strategy a little bit. We stuck to our guns and raced the harder option. In hindsight I just missed a little bit of grip, especially in the middle part of the race, when the first drop of the tyre came. I made a couple of small mistakes and Toprak broke the tow a little. Then Alvaro was coming, with a good pace. I couldn’t fight with him as he took so much time out of me in sector four and the beginning of sector one. I was riding on my limit just to keep the gap.”
Alex Lowes, stated: “I wanted to go under 1’40 in Superpole so to achieve that was really good. I think any time you are with Johnny, Toprak or Alvaro you are riding quite well. In the race I had a good start but on a full tank of fuel I was struggling to stop at the beginning. In the race itself I felt quite good and I had decent pace. Maybe on lap six, seven, eight, I thought I needed to relax a bit because the rear tyre was dropping. I came strong again at the end and had a good battle with Axel. Hopefully we can improve the braking a bit for Sunday so that I can fight a little bit more. Honestly, without this fight, I felt my pace was a little bit faster; quite strong. Because we went from the planned 21 laps to 14, I had already changed the front tyre choice. I went to the SC1 to give me a bit more grip. I think this was a good choice.”
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 13th and in the points in Race One, with Oliver König (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 24th today. Leon Haslam (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) had to retire with a technical issue.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Bautista conquers valuable second place on difficult Saturday at Portimao. Rinaldi finishes in P7. Bulega makes up 17 places from last on the grid and takes the final point
Everything happens on Saturday at Portimao. First a chaotic Superpole: a yellow flag cancelled the best lap to many riders, before giving back the fourth place to Bautista. Then a serious incident in the Superport 300 race caused the Superbike race to be delayed by almost two hours and to be reduced to 14 laps.
This time Alvaro Bautista is not super-brilliant at the start and finds himself in fifth position. The Spaniard battled first with Lowes (Kawasaki) and then Bassani (Ducati) to get into the slipstream of the leading pair of Rea (Kawasaki) and Razgatlioglu (Yamaha). With three laps to go Bautista overtakes Rea but then he loses a few metres: this move prevents him from attacking Razgatlioglu for the win.
Michael Rinaldi (P9 on the grid) chooses the softer tyre, which, however, does not give the hoped-for benefits. The Italian rider is unable to have an incisive race pace and he finishes in seventh position.
P2 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19)
“It was a good race even if there is a hint of regret because I knew I was really competitive in the second half. We missed those six laps, but it’s also true that the difficult start, the battle with Bassani and the mistake to overtake Rea made me lose metres on Razgatlioglu. However, the feeling remains extremely positive ahead of tomorrow’s races”.
P7 – Michael Rinaldi (aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“I’m pretty disappointed with this race. Unfortunately, we had a problem in FP3 that didn’t allow us to work. We also lost an important session to understand which was the best tyre for the race. The choice we made did not turn out to be the best one. It’s a shame because the feeling on Friday was very good. Tomorrow I definitely want to try again and stay at the front”.
WorldSSP
Nicolò Bulega had to deal with a problem with his Ducati Panigale V2 that prevented him from taking part in Superpole. Starting from 32nd position, the Aruba.it Racing WSSP rider makes up position after position and eventually finishes 15th, gaining at least one point.
P15 – Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WSSP #11)
“It goes without saying that the problem in qualifying heavily conditioned today’s race and it will condition tomorrow’s. I tried to push hard right from the first laps but I lost too much time to get past the first group. I will try to do better tomorrow even though it won’t be easy”.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Razgatlioglu wins shortened Race 1 at Portimao, Bautista and Rea complete the podium
The Turkish rider claimed his first win since Magny-Cours to close the gap to Bautista in the Championship standings
Race 1 highlights – WorldSBK
*Race distance was reduced to 14 laps with Race 1 being delayed due to not having the medical helicopter onsite following an incident in WorldSSP300 Race 1.
P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Razgatlioglu claimed Race 1 victory finishing 0.657s ahead of Bautista. It was his 27th WorldSBK win.
Following Race 1, he remains second in the Championship standings 54 points behind Bautista.
“Firstly, I say I like this circuit and we are very strong from the start. Thanks to my team because they did an incredible job. My feeling with the bike is perfect. Today, we were able to win. We are winning again. We take good points from the Championship. In the first laps I am waiting, and after that I started riding. The race was not easy because I was fighting with Jonny and also Alvaro was coming. In the last few laps, I wasn’t taking risks. The race was not easy, but I know my race pace, usually, is very fast with the SC0 tyre. I’m just riding in my style and in the last four or five laps, I saw the gap get bigger.”
P2 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
After battling with Rea in the latter stages of the race, Bautista took second place in Race 1.
His Championship lead is now of 54 points ahead of Razgatlioglu.
“Today I’m happy with the performance of race even if I made two important mistakes in the race, in this short race as in the end we missed six laps. For us it was important, because normally I feel very strong in the second part of the race but today, it didn’t happen. In any case, I had a bad start and lost some positions. I had to battle to stay behind Toprak and Jonathan. Then I saw that I was maybe a couple of tenths faster than them. But then Toprak went faster. I tried to pass Jonathan to catch Toprak, but I made my second mistake of the race. When I passed Jonathan, I braked too late in Turn 1 and I missed the corner and went out. I lost time and the chance to catch Toprak because there were not enough laps left. In any case, I’m happy because we were quite competitive, I felt good on the bike. Tomorrow, I try to keep this feeling with the bike.”
P3 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Rea completed the Race 1 podium, finishing 3.032s behind Razgatlioglu. It was his 22nd podium place at Portimao.
He is third in the standings, 71 points behind Bautista and 17 points behind Razgatlioglu.
“I’m a little bit disappointed to be honest because we had a really good pace when the tyre was new but as soon as our tyre dropped a little bit, I really struggled with entering the corners and also in that first part of acceleration. I was with the harder rear tyre option. We set the bike for the longer race. Maybe going with that SC0 option like the front two guys was the way forward. But I have to be happy with my race. I gave everything I could. We have a good idea of where to improve for tomorrow.”
P4 – Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing)
Having just committed for another season with Motocorsa Racing in 2023, Bassani delivered a fourth place finish after a last lap battle with Lowes.
“Today was a really good race. We finished fourth. It’s a really nice result, I wanted this top five and we’re here. I’m happy with the job we did this weekend with my team. We improved every practice but I want a podium. Today I was really close to the podium, I was really close today and tomorrow I’ll try to get it.”
P5 – Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
After battling with Bassani, Lowes was fifth in Race 1 and crossed the finish line 0.091s behind the Italian rider.
“It was a good battle. I had some good fun in the last few laps with Axel. I tried to pass him but he passed me back. In the last lap he didn’t make any mistake anywhere. He’s riding really well. I just couldn’t find a part of the track where I had an advantage to pass him. And in general, today I’ve been happy with my Superpole performance. In the race, the pace was faster than I expected. I was able to hang in there a bit and I think I can improve a little bit on the braking. I enjoyed the race and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
P6 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Locatelli completed the Race 1 top six, finishing 8.805s behind his teammate.
“In the end, it’s not the result you want to get but, in the end, I had a really good race. The rhythm was much better than yesterday and really fast. For sure, we need to work for tomorrow to prepare the bike and find something to be faster especially in the first part of the race, because it’s important for me to fight for a good position. But in general, I’m happy because I had a great weekend. We are always fast.”
To note:
The first Honda rider was Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) in 8th place, whilst the first BMW rider was Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) in 9th.
WorldSBK action resumes on Sunday from 09:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole Race at 11:00 and Race 2 at 15:15.
Americans Max Toth, Kaleb De Keyrel, and Dr. Carl Price, MD, are racing in the CIV (Italian) Aprilia RS 660 Cup season finale this weekend at Imola, in Italy.
Toth, the current Aprilia RS 660 Cup Championship point leader was fastest in provisional qualifying on Friday. De Keyrel, the 2021 MotoAmerica REV’IT! Twins Cup Champion, was fourth-fastest. And Price, the MotoAmerica Medical Officer, was 17th-quickest on Friday.
Apr Cup Q1
Attack The World! – Friday, Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimao, Portugal
Copyright 2022, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
by Michael Gougis
At least the bikes got to the track on time.
Delays in getting the bikes through customs meant that the Attack Racing equipment made it to the track far later than the team wanted. Endless debates about what kind of plane the team’s Yamaha YZF-R1s had to fly on, nomenclature on the forms, a midnight run to get the tractor-semi trailer – at the end of it all, Attack’s Richard Stanboli was convinced that the customs officials were just making things up to delay the process.
But when practice opened on Friday, two-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Jake Gagne was on the track and mixing it up with the world’s best Superbike racers. At the end of FP1, Gagne was 18th, 2.114 seconds off of Michael Rinaldi’s quickest time, but sandwiched between former British Superbike Champion Leon Haslam – a racer who has won multiple Superbike World Championship races and the Suzuka 8-Hours three times – and Lucas Mahias, a racer who has won the Endurance World Championship and the Supersport World Championship.
The temperature rose for Free Practice Two, and while Gagne improved his time, he was still 2.040 seconds behind the quickest rider of the session, Yamaha factory rider and defending Superbike World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu.
After a debrief, Stanboli summarized the challenge facing the team as a matter of dialing in the electronics – specifically the engine braking. When the engine braking isn’t right, the rider isn’t confident on the front – and when they’re not confident on the front, it’s difficult to get the engine braking right. “It’s a chicken-and-egg thing,” Stanboli said.
Fellow American and Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff flew in the cooler conditions of the morning, his 1:41.082 quick enough to remain third after the times from both practice sessions were combined.
Gerloff was asked about how he was enjoying having Gagne in the paddock this weekend, and said that he and Gagne were having fun, lunching together, and talking about the circuit.
Gerloff summed up the attitude of the professional racer who can be friendly but still knows what his job is.
“I want him to do well,” Gerloff said of Gagne. “I just don’t want him to beat me.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Calatayud Secures Inaugural R3 SuperFinale Pole at Portimão
18-year-old Spaniard Unai Calatayud starred on Friday to claim pole position in the first edition of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European SuperFinale held at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, with the front row separated by just 0.248s.
Taking place at the final European round of the WorldSBK season in Portugal, the R3 Superfinale offers the winner a Yamaha-supported ride in the 2023 R3 bLU cRU European Cup, with 25 riders from 12 different countries competing in the inaugural event. Two races are scheduled for Saturday, with 25-points up for grabs in each to decide who comes out on top, while Friday saw the riders aged between 14-20 participate in Free Practice and Qualifying at the 4.6km Portimão circuit.
Local hero David Da Costa (14) led the way during the morning’s 30-minute Free Practice session, as he set a 2:02.622 to head the field by 0.230s from Spaniard Javier Corral Arias (19), with Italian Emiliano Ercolani (17) in third.
With 30 minutes on the clock for Qualifying, Da Costa again set the early pace, but he would become involved in a battle for pole position with Spanish rider Calatayud, despite a red flag early in the session leading to delay. The duo exchanged the top spot on the timesheets several times before Calatayud set a 2:00.877 on his 11th lap to claim the first-ever Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European SuperFinale pole position.
Da Costa responded late on with a 2:01.098 to finish 0.221s behind in second, with Ercolani backing up his pace in the earlier Free Practice session to secure the final spot on the front row, 0.027s further back.
Spaniard Javier Corral Arias heads up the second row, ahead of his compatriot, and the leading female rider, Natalia Rivera Rasel (16), in fifth, with Mohammed Abdalaziz Binladin (14) from Saudi Arabia sixth fastest. The third row consists of Italian Emanuele Cazzaniga (19), Gonzalo Meléndez (14) from Spain, and Brazilian Kaywan Friere Da Costa (19), with Kayla Yaakov (15) from the USA making it six different nationalities in the top ten.
The battle to be crowned the first ever Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European SuperFinale winner kicks off with Race 1 on Saturday at 11:45 am local time (UTC+1), followed by Race 2 at 16:15.
Unai Catalayud – P1 (2:00.877)
Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European SuperFinale Rider
“It was a tricky qualifying, especially with the red flag meaning we had to stop and start again. Despite this, I had an excellent feeling with my R3 and managed to get into a group with some fast riders in front of me so I could take advantage of the slipstream and set my fastest time. I think it will be close in the race tomorrow, as there are some very fast riders, but I am confident I can battle at the front!”
On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 28, Hurricane Ian made landfall on the southwest coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds over 130 mph pushing a strong storm surge of sea water onshore.
The first pieces of land to experience the powerful center of this storm were Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island.
Sanibel Island is a low-lying barrier island that is about 15 miles long, four miles wide, and home to about 6,400 residents, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. Four of those residents are 1991 AMA Superbike Champion and former MotoAmerica official Thomas Stevens, his wife Linda, and his teenage sons, Brandon (16) and Dylan (13).
And instead of heeding the government’s warning to evacuate low-lying coastal areas of Florida ahead of the hurricane’s arrival, Stevens and his family were some of only a few hundred people, according to CNN, who decided to shelter in place and ride the storm out in their home on the island.
“I’ll never make that mistake again,” Stevens told Roadracingworld.com in a telephone interview October 6. “It was rocking and shaking pretty good. It was as bad as it could get. You’ve seen the pictures on the news. Let’s just say we did a lot of praying, and we normally don’t pray too much.”
Stevens didn’t make his decision lightly, as he said he had experienced two other powerful hurricanes in the past and felt he and his home were prepared for what was to come.
“I have a two-level stilt home. That’s what most of the newer-construction homes are. There’s no ground level. My house is lifted about 12 feet on stilts,” said Stevens. “I’ve been prepping for a long time. I have a generator that I can plug into my house. I have hurricane windows and hurricane doors. I’ve put a ton of money into my house just so to be able to sustain a storm, because I don’t want to lose my structure. But it got pretty hairy.
“We knew there was flooding coming because we were still getting reports. Then my son goes, ‘Holy sh-t, Dad! Look outside.’ We had six inches of water outside.
“I said, ‘We’ve got to get the generator.’
“So, we ran downstairs, because the generator was running outside. I grabbed my generator and by the time I got it in the door of my (ground-level) basement there was two feet of water. By the time I got it around and inside we had three feet of water outside and eight inches of water in my [ground-level] basement. But we had to save the generator.
“At about that point, my garage door gave way, and the five feet of water that was outside came inside. But we got the generator upstairs (and out on a porch when running), and I had 20 gallons of fuel.
“Then, the water got really high and submerged our vehicles downstairs. It was pretty hairy at that point. We didn’t know how high it was going to go.”
After several tense hours, “Good things started happening,” said Stevens. “We were looking at the water [level], and my son goes, ‘Dad, I think the water’s going out a little bit.’ And sure enough it went down about two inches and it kept going down. So, at that point we knew we were going to make it.
“We went to bed, but I didn’t sleep real good that night. Early in the morning I got up and looked outside and I could see dry land. Then once it got light outside, we got up and started riding our bicycles around the island to see if anyone needed our help.
“We found this elderly couple. They were sitting on their steps in a daze. They asked if we could move the 6 x 6 (-inch) post that had busted through the windshield of their car before it busted through the back window.
“I just looked at her and said, ‘Ma’am, your vehicles are no good anymore.’
“She said, ‘How are we going to get out of here? I could just drive us out.’
“I said, ‘It’s not going to start, and you do realize that we don’t have a causeway anymore, right?’”
What Stevens was referring to was the one and only causeway, a raised road with a series of bridges, connecting Sanibel Island with mainland Florida which had been washed away by the storm in multiple spots, leaving the island physically cut off.
The next day, Friday, September 30, the Coast Guard started doing search and rescue runs to the island using helicopters.
“They landed on the golf course, so we went over and talked with them. They were looking for people to evacuate,” said Stevens. “It was pretty cool. We were riding our bicycles back to the old couple’s house, and they were following us, flying 60 feet above us in their Blackhawk helicopter. The couple was still sitting there with half their roof missing.”
Stevens said once they helped evacuate people who needed it, they returned to his home and prepared to sustain themselves for as long as they could.
“A lot of my dirt bike riding stuff came into play,” said Stevens. “I have a solar shower to clean up after I ride and before I get back in my van for a six-hour drive home. Then in my van I have a portable potty. So, we brought that inside and used that because you couldn’t use the toilets.
“Racers are pretty prepared when it comes to having stuff, and I’ve been pretty prepared for a long time.
“Finding water was a big deal. I was able to get a neighbor’s jacuzzi going so I was able to sanitize the water in that so we had water. We went over to another neighbor’s house and his refrigerator was on its side, but the sea water hadn’t got inside. So, we took all his T-bones and steaks out of his fridge because that was all going to go bad. So, we ate every day. When you have power life is good, and when you don’t have power it’s pretty tough.”
Stevens and his family spent most of their time over the following days cleaning up the damage to his home, which was mostly limited to his ground-floor “basement.” Unfortunately, that area of Stevens’ house stored most of his stuff, including a Yamaha YZ450F supermotard bike that he had just fixed up to sell, his 2021 Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke motocrosser, most of his memorabilia from his Pro racing career, and a classic Jeep he had fixed up.
“That one hurts,” said Stevens, “but all that stuff is replaceable.”
Stevens and his family left Sanibel Island by boat on Wednesday, October 5, the same day President Joe Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the region together, and temporarily moved in with his in-laws. But he plans to return to the island on this weekend to continue cleaning up his and his neighbors’ homes.
“The Governor said the priority now is to get the causeway open again by the end of the month,” said Stevens. “’Whatever it takes, we’re going to get it open by the end of the month,’ he said. When that happens, they can get some heavy equipment in and start with the real cleanup.”
Asked how long he think it will take before things are back to normal on Sanibel Island, Stevens said, “Two years.”
