Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) emerged victorious from Race 2 in the Northern Talent Cup at the Sachsenring as the top two in the Cup standings went head-to-head for the second time in as many days. Title leader Rossi Moor (Farium Next Generation Riders) crossed the line first but the Hungarian exceeded track limits on the last lap, which handed victory to second across the line Farkas. Lenoxx Phommara (Team Phommara) came from eighth on the grid to pick up his first dry podium of the season.
It was another spellbinding NTC race in scorching conditions at the Sachsenring as 17 riders battled it out in the leading group from the off, with Farkas once again grabbing an early lead despite starting on the outside of the second row. The lead changed every lap though with Turns 1, 12 and 13 acting as the main action areas, but the two consistently at the front of the freight train were Farkas and Moor. And, as expected, the fight for victory went down to the very last lap.
Dropping down the famous Waterfall section, Moor went for the inside line but ventured onto the green when overtaking Farkas. Moor’s late braking at Turn 12 and Turn 13 helped him cross the line in P1 but the number 92 was demoted one place for exceeding track limits, which saw Farkas promoted to P1 – his second victory of the year.
Moor ended the day P2 with Phommara producing some great late race pace to claw his way onto the podium in third, as polesitter Jurrien Van Crugten (BB64 Academy) narrowly missed out on a debut rostrum in P4.
Martin Vincze (Chrobak Motorsport Egyesulet) finished P5, just half a second away from victory, as Race 1 podium finisher Dustin Schneider (Goblin Racing) settled for P6, 0.6s shy. Seventh place finisher Rocco Sessler (MCA Racing) was also under a second from the win, as Maxime Schmid (Team Schmid), Matteo Masili (Farium Next Generation Riders) and Loris Veneman (Team NL Open Line) – who was handed a three-second penalty at the end of the race – completed the top 10.
That’s all from a sensational two races at the Sachsenring! Next up for the NTC riders is a short trip north to the TT Circuit Assen, where once again they’ll join the MotoGP™ paddock for a weekend at the Cathedral of Speed.
O’Halloran Scot talent: Double win at Knockhill closes the gap at the top of the championship
Jason O’Halloran on top of the podium at Knockhill. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Jason O’Halloran celebrated a double Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win in front of a bumper crowd at Knockhill, holding off standings leader Bradley Ray in the final race of the weekend by just 0.993s as the McAMS Yamaha rider banished his previous bad luck at the Scottish circuit.
O’Halloran had earlier overcome his previous Knockhill demons to claim his first ever Bennetts BSB race win at the Fife circuit in the second race of the weekend, holding off his title rivals to return to the top of the podium.
At the start of the race Kyle Ryde had hit the front of the pack ahead of teammate Ray and Rory Skinner, but the local contender was into the lead by the time they crossed the line to complete the first lap.
At the front, Skinner was trying to hold off Ray and O’Halloran, who had pushed Ryde down the order, but on the eighth lap Leon Haslam and Storm Stacey crashed at the Hairpin, causing a BMW Safety Car intervention.
When the race resumed, Skinner was still able to hold off Ray and O’Halloran initially, but the McAMS Yamaha rider was on a charge. On lap 22, Ray got slightly out of line coming into the Hairpin and O’Halloran seized the opportunity to move ahead.
O’Halloran then had Skinner in his sights as he hunted his elusive first race win in Scotland. He made his move to hit the front of the field with four laps remaining as Lee Jackson also joined the trio ahead of him to fight for the podium.
As O’Halloran had the marginal edge, the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki riders were dueling for second place, trading blows for several laps. Skinner led the teammates at the start of the final lap, but then Jackson made his move.
Jackson held off the counter attack from Skinner as the pair awarded the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki team their first double podium finish with Ray taking the chequered flag in fourth place.
Tommy Bridewell completed the top five for the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team as he had an advantage over Josh Brookes, Danny Buchan and Glenn Irwin. Ryde meanwhile dropped to ninth as Tarran Mackenzie salvaged tenth place following his back of the grid start after he missed yesterday’s eBay Sprint race.
At the start of the third race, local hero Skinner was bidding to add a hat trick of podium finishes to his tally at his home round, and he launched into the lead on the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki ahead of O’Halloran and Ray.
Skinner though crashed out of the lead on the fifth lap and that left Ray, who had moved into second, and O’Halloran, to have a Yamaha duel for supremacy at the front of the field.
Ray was holding the advantage until there were just five laps to go when the McAMS Yamaha rider made his attack; diving down the inside at the Hairpin to take the lead.
O’Halloran was able to edge a 0.993s over Ray at the chequered flag, with the battle for third becoming a five-way scrap before Jackson fought off the opposition, claiming his second podium finish of the weekend.
Buchan had carved his way through the field on the SYNETIQ BMW to claim fourth place to secure his best result of the season so far, making moves on the dicing pack of Bridewell, Glenn Irwin and Josh Brookes.
Mackenzie closed in on Brookes over the final laps, taking eighth place for McAMS Yamaha with Ryde and Tom Sykes completing the top ten.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Knockhill:
Bradley Ray (Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha) 216
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 200
Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki) 174
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 94
Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) 84
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Jason O’Halloran
McAMS Yamaha
Knockhill double race winner
“It’s been an incredible weekend, yesterday I was absolutely buzzing with second. This isn’t the best track for me, but I enjoyed the race yesterday and I was looking forward to today.
“The guys have done a great job with the bike, improved it a bit off the back of yesterday and it felt incredible and managed to get another pair of wins.
“We’ve had four wins in the last six races, six podiums from six races and we are closing down the podium points and championship leads.
“An awesome couple of weekends, I’m feeling super strong in the races, in complete control and I can’t wait to keep progressing and getting stronger as the season moves on.”
Starts. For most riders they’re just something to get done for good or ill and then get down to the actual real business of racing.
But that’s not how racing works. Get a bad start and you’ll find yourself with plenty to do. Motorcycle racing can be more forgiving compared to our four wheeled cousins where passing is at a premium.
For Wayne Maxwell and Arthur Sissis, they found themselves as the yin and yang of Race Two. Arthur repeated his good start of yesterday but with a little greatness thrown in this time round, taking his Yamaha from seventh to first into turn one. For Wayne Maxwell, short of crashing, he could not have had a worse start. “Like a kid trying to pop a wheelie on a BMX” was the call from the track announcer and it was hard to argue with that analysis, as the reigning champion effectively swapped grid places with Sissis.
It felt like a pivotal moment for both men. For Sissis it was the realisation that he could not only get to the front, but he could box on with the likes of Herfoss, Jones, Halliday and Allerton.
For Maxwell, it appeared to be the moment he conceded more points to Jones and with it potentially the title.
Up front, for five solid laps Arthur Sissis contested the lead and was P1 every time over the finish line. The South Australian Sissis gave as good as he got, showing that a good start was not all he had. In a field of wily, older racers, it was gratifying to see a twenty something serving up a hot bowl of quality race craft to the olde brigade. Staring had to use everything he had at his disposal- including the mighty DesmoSport Ducati’s straight-line advantage- to squeeze into the lead.
Championship leader Mike Jones just did that thing he does; circulating steadily and without fanfare while everyone else dropped bombs and occasionally banged fairings. It was easy to get suckered into an MMA-style battle for position, but the blue 46 Yamaha of Jones sat comfortably in fourth. While Sissis was conceding the lead to Staring on lap five, the formerly serene Jones found himself being passed by man-on-a-mission Wayne Maxwell. There was no dicing, the #1 Ducati just blew by him as Maxwell had eyes only for the front of the field.
Herfoss barged his way past Sissis and kindly left a Mike Jones sized gap and then Arthur out braked himself into turn one, running wide and just like that, a podium chance went begging.
Maxwell remained fixated on his mission and despite the Pirellis having great grip for the whole distance thus far, it was hard to believe he hadn’t somehow set them afire with his relentless pace that included a lap record (1:05.407) in case anyone needed convincing.
As the race drew closer to the checkered flag, it was a race between two warring parties: Maxwell and Staring, Jones and Herfoss. With the usual benefit of hindsight, they ought to have called a ceasefire to get away- or catch up- as their dicing was slowing their pace and the leading pair could not get away allowing the chasers to stay within a shot. Jones pulled out all he had and was able to get past Staring on the last lap.
But it was Maxwell at the flag who had been able to bang out some solid laps to deny Jones any chance of a tow to the line and take the win.
Wayne Maxwell. Photo by Karl Phillipson @optikalphoto, courtesy ASBK.
Staring came home in third with Herfoss in fourth, unable to match his heroic second from Saturday. He later conceded that his pace is his pace and there’s not much left.
The top four completed the 16-lap journey inside Jones’ winning time from Saturday, a fair indication of how the track was perhaps better, but also that the riders and teams found a little more to close the gap to Mike Jones. One rider noted it was a “good old-fashioned race with battles everywhere” and that was evident from the provisional lap chart.
Supercars fans unaccustomed to the frenetic pace and punch-ons that the Alpinestars Superbike class can deliver, were impressed.
Wayne Maxwell showed that he’s absolutely at his best when on the ropes and that anyone thinking he was out of the hunt for ‘22 were very, very wrong.
…and there was still one race to come.
Race Three – Once More Dear Friend
“…it can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop… ever..” The Terminator.
Motorsport remains a “funny old game” even if that is a cliche. One race- say race two today at Hidden Valley- you might pull out a ride that has commentators searching for new superlatives.
Other times you have an innocuous low side and hand your main rival not only a race win, but maybe the Championship.
When, as Wayne Maxwell did, you do this in back-to-back races, well then yes, absolutely, it is indeed “a funny old game”.
Early on, it wasn’t funny, but it was certainly entertaining as the leading duo in the championship were also the leading duo in race three. They swapped the lead a few times and then a resurgent and confident Glenn Allerton found himself back close to the front again. On lap four Allerton pushed past longtime rival Maxwell and with all the self-confidence we know Glenn has, he clearly began to think about winning the race.
Maxwell, however, fell into the clutches of Staring and Herfoss, and coming out of turn six he just twisted the throttle a little too much and had the easiest, slowest and costliest low side. He knew what the stakes were and did not let go of the bike, preferring to spin to a slow stop while gripping onto the bike and his title chances with both hands. Maxwell remounted, but there would be no repeat of his race two heroics, the front runners were gone and the gap to season-saving points was half a lap up the road.
This middle phase of the race made it clear that it’s time Mike Jones retired the “Mad Mike” moniker. Mad has too many aggressive and wild connotations. His performance this weekend and particularly in race three was not mad. Some said it was robotic, and if this is true, then he is the Terminator. He just did everything needed to execute the mission. Solid laps, a bigger gap and then eyes were just on the battle for second as the blue R1 with the familiar 46 on it loudly drew away from the field.
Mike Jones. Photo by Karl Phillipson @optikalphoto, courtesy ASBK.
The battle for second was on in earnest with the trio of Allerton, Staring and Herfoss all rightly laying claim to the spot while Halliday and Sissis drove their Yamahas hard to stay in contact. Allerton found himself down as low as fourth, Herfoss as high as second, but also as low as fourth. With three laps to go, Staring had both Allerton and Herfoss push past and set sail for the line. Their battle would come down to the last corners and when Herfoss tried his usual up-the-inside move, Allerton placed himself decisively in his way and Herfoss was unable to perform his favorite move.
That was how they ran to the line. Jones – Daylight- Allerton– Herfoss– Staring.
Wayne Maxwell was able to move up to 11th for ten points and salvage something from the low side disaster at turn six, but now finds himself some 40 points (162) behind Jones (202). It is not insurmountable, but every time Jones has a round where he stretches his lead, Maxwell has one less round to catch him. The maths look difficult with three rounds, six races remaining and a maximum of 153 points on offer.
For the other top contenders- Staring (155) is now within 7 points of second in the Championship, while Halliday, Herfoss and Waters find themselves – incredibly – on the same points in fourth (136). That will be some kind of battle for the rest of the season. Allerton and Sissis are next and also sit together on 131 points.
The Championship now has a mid-winter break before reconvening at Morgan Park 5-7 August, with the regular classes rejoining us for what promises to be a hectic back half of the season.
Mike Jones, First Overall:
“The team did a fantastic job and gave me a bike that I was able to race on in all conditions. When the track was in the cool conditions, we were able to go fast, when the track was hot and greasy it was a bike that was ridable and comfortable enough to be able to be super consistent on.”
“Overall first for the weekend and extending our championship lead is very important for us leaving here this weekend.”
“The trickiest thing was on the Sunday we’ve got two races, but we don’t have a warmup session, we just go straight into the first race. I found that tricky because it’s not something we don’t normally do.”
Troy Herfoss, Second Overall:
“Yesterday was pretty emotional to be honest… I won’t forget yesterday anytime soon, that was a big day for me.”
“Driving off the corner, especially turn one here when you’re on the side of the tyre for a while, when I’m picking the bike up I’m just not driving forward. The bike’s not slow, but I look like I’m slow down the straight because I’m so bad off the last corner.”
“Moving to Morgan Park that issue’s gonna be sidelined for now… all the corners where we brake hard, accelerate out and you can get that pitch in the bike, I’m quite good and the bike works quite well… I feel like I’ll be strong at Morgan Park.”
Glenn Allerton Third in Race Three:
“I feel like we were in a battle for the podium all weekend… we improved the bike for race 2 and overall the package was better but we had a mechanical problem with the seat unit and the whole ducktail coming loose with the bike, I just rode around for points in the end of that race.”
“I knew that I needed to just sit on Troy and when he made a move, make a move straight away on Bryan as well… which I managed to do.”
“He’s (Troy) always going to go the inside up there on those last two corners and I knew it, so I rode tight on the entry to make him go even tighter than normal… All I wanted for him to do was to have to commit more than he wanted to so that he would roll wide on the exit so that I could drive down the last turn and it pretty much played out exactly how I wanted it.”
Bryan Staring, Third Overall:
“We wanted more than we got, really I think we need to go back and review the weekend as to why we didn’t get it… That will only make us stronger for the future.”
“We were very much in the fight, we put in a massive show and huge effort to challenge all the riders… we were certainly a big part of the show for ASBK this weekend.”
“The first race is a good example that I was prepared to fight in the closing laps… The last race is an example that I couldn’t fight in the last laps”
Advantage Quartararo: Bagnaia crashes out as El Diablo stamps some authority on the Sachsenring
The reigning Champion pulls clear, Bagnaia slides out early and Zarco and Miller beat Aleix Espargaro to the podium
Fabio Quartararo (20) won the MotoGP race at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 19 June 2022
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) extended his advantage with a decisive win at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, pulling clear of compatriot Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) for a French 1-2. There was a potentially key shift in the title fight on Sunday too, as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) slid out early on, with teammate Jack Miller then going on to slice past two Aprilias to complete the podium – overcoming a Long Lap penalty he’d been given on Saturday.
Quartararo nabbed the holeshot from Bagnaia, and the number 63 got tucked in on the chase. He briefly took over at the start of Lap 2 but El Diablo hit back, and not long after disaster struck for Pecco, the rear sliding out on Lap 4. From that point on, Quartararo had the hammer down.
After that, Zarco was into second past Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Miller next up. The Australian then served his Long Lap for crashing under yellows on Saturday, dropping to seventh but soon back past Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
By then, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was past Diggia and tucked in behind teammate Espargaro, applying the pressure for a good few laps. Would he make a move? It was the best show of pace so far from the number 12, but then bad luck hit: the ride rear height device got stuck, and that was race over for ‘Top Gun’.
After little more than 20 laps, Quartararo had stretched his margin over Zarco to more than three seconds. His fellow Frenchman enjoyed a similar gap over Aleix Espargaro, but Aprilia’s ‘Captain’ was coming under serious attention from Miller. The number 43 fired his Ducati down the inside at Turn 1 on Lap 23 but ran it in too deep, and the result was the same when he tried again on Lap 26. Ironically, Espargaro himself went wide through there on Lap 28 and Miller marched on through into third.
Johann Zarco finished second. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Quartararo got more than five seconds ahead of the rest of the field in the last handful of laps before cruising to victory by a final margin of 4.939 seconds. Zarco took the chequered flag 3.433 seconds up on Miller, with Aleix Espargaro a few tenths further back and off the podium.
Fifth was a stunning ride from Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), and he prevailed in a battle against fellow sophomore Martin, Marini also getting a little too close for comfort to the battle ahead in the latter stages.
Jack Miller (43) came back from a Long Lap penalty to finish third. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM factory Racing) demonstrated once again that he is the quintessential ‘Sunday man’ by riding up from 15th on the grid to seventh, BB33 getting his elbows out. The top 10 was rounded out by Di Giannantonio, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) as the Beast recovered from as low down as P20 in the early stages.
Points were also scored by Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) in 11th just ahead of some more points for fellow rookie Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing). Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) were next up, ahead of Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing). Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) was the last rider to make it home after a race of attrition.
A further five riders joined Bagnaia and Viñales as DNFs. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) retired due to rib pain from a crash in Free Practice and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) also had a rear ride height device failure after it wouldn’t disengage after the start. His team-mate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) crashed out, as did Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). The latter did so at Turn 1, moments after Bagnaia had gone down there, having been wide when Oliveira went to overtake him.
It’s now 34 points of breathing space for Quartararo at the top of the standings. Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro remains second in the title race after finishing fourth at the Sachsenring but the Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia has a mountain to climb after he crashed out while chasing Quartararo on Lap 4.
Now, we head to the ‘Cathedral’ for the last round before the summer break. Can Quartararo hammer that advantage home? Tune in for the Motul TT Assen on June 24-26!
MotoGP™ PODIUM
1 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Yamaha- +0.635
2 Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) – Ducati – +4.939
3 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +8.372
Fabio Quartararo: “I feel tired! I was ill during the whole weekend, and in the race I was coughing a little bit, and I have no words. We made a choice on the rear tyre, the medium, that was really risky, and in the race, we were lucky because it dropped much more than expected, but I’m super happy!
“Today is Father’s Day in France and I haven’t said anything until now, so now I want to say Happy Father’s Day!”
Augusto Fernandez (37) won the Moto2 race. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Fernandez on formidable form to break clear for victory
The number 37 dominates but it’s a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 as Acosta pips Lowes to third
Augusto Fernandez dominated the Moto2™ Race at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, slicing through to the front and then pulling away for a stylish second win of the season – and bringing himself within just 12 points of the Championship lead held by Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) as the Italian crashed out. Pedro Acosta made it a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 after a great last lap duel against Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), the Brit forced to settle for third but putting to bed a run of some bad luck.
Lowes was looking to end a run of five straight zeroes after he qualified on pole, and the Briton duly converted that starting position into the early lead. Home hero Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) came from fifth on the grid to emerge in second position in the opening corners of his home race, ahead of Fernandez, Albert Arenas (GASGAS Aspar Team), and Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team). Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40), meanwhile, dropped from sixth to 12th and Vietti from eighth to 10th.
Acosta moved into the top five when he got by Roberts on Lap 3 at Turn 1 and, after it looked like Lowes and Schrötter might break away from the pack, Fernandez took matters into his own hands. For three laps in a row, he went on the attack at Turn 3, getting Arenas on Lap 4, Schrötter on Lap 5, and then Lowes for the lead on Lap 6.
Near the end of that sixth lap, Acosta went underneath Arenas for fourth spot at Turn 12, and he was into the podium places at the end of Lap 7 after Schrötter had a big rear end moment as he opened the throttle exiting Turn 13. The German briefly dropped to fifth due to the near-crash but reclaimed one of those positions when he outbraked Arenas as they arrived at Turn 1 again, and keeping himself in contention for a rostrum finish.
Fernandez galloped to a one-second lead on Lap 8, and had doubled that in just three laps more. Lowes continued to run in second spot and Acosta in third, as Schrötter came under pressure from Arenas. By then, Canet had recovered as far as sixth position, but Vietti was having a much tougher task of it as he fought to try and get back into the top 10.
In fact, Vietti had slumped as far back as 14th when he was passed by Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) on Lap 14, before Lowes handed second to Acosta when he had a moment at Turn 3. Meanwhile, Fernandez was not letting up and his gap over second place had grown to four seconds.
Still, the rest of the top 10 was hotly contested and Canet ceded sixth to Fermin Aldeguer on Lap 16. Three laps later, he had lost seventh position to Aldeguer’s MB Conveyors Speed Up teammate, Alonso Lopez. Then, it was one of Canet’s key rivals in the World Championship who relegated him another spot. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), who only qualified 14th, had passed Vietti for 12th in a key move in the context of the title fight on Lap 5, was into the top 10 on Lap 12 before overtaking Canet for eighth on Lap 20 at Turn 1.
Aldeguer got into the top five by passing Arenas, but the next really big moment was Vietti dropping his VR46 machine at Turn 1. The Italian looked to have completed a pass on Gonzalez for 11th position at the start of Lap 22 but folded the front…
Meanwhile, Lowes and Schrötter were coming back into the reckoning for second and Lowes passed Acosta on Lap 25 at Turn 12, but Acosta hit back on the next lap at Turn 2. The Brit hit back at Turn 11, only for the rookie to respond once more with a pass at the very next corner.
All of that dicing turned a duel into a four-rider battle as Schrötter and Aldeguer closed in. The German got by Lowes at the start of the penultimate lap but the Marc VDS rider returned the favour at the end of it. It seemed like it could hardly get any closer but then it did get as close as possible – literally – when Lowes and Acosta had a touch as they ran from Turn 12 to the final corner on the final lap.
Acosta hung on to claim second at the chequered flag, 7.704 seconds behind teammate Fernandez but 0.140 seconds up on Lowes. Schrötter was only another 0.115 seconds behind again, just missing out on another home GP podium, and Aldeguer was close behind in fifth, too. He would then have three seconds added to his race time as he got a Long Lap penalty for track limits and there was insufficient time to take it, but it made no difference to the final outcome as the Boscoscuro rider was classified fifth.
Rounding out the top 10 were Arenas, Lopez, Ogura, Canet, and Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team). The rest of the points finishers were Jake Dixon (GASGAS Aspar Team), Gonzalez, Roberts, Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), and Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia).
In the World Championship, Vietti is still on top, but his gap over Ogura has been cut to just eight points – and Fernandez’s win puts him into third at only 12 points back from the Italian, with Canet now 17 points off the pace at the halfway mark of the season. Thatt makes the last round before the summer break all the more important, so make sure you don’t miss the Motul TT Assen on June 24-26!
3 Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) – Kalex – +7.844
Augusto Fernandez: “It was unbelievable. Honestly I felt like in practice….well, in the last few races I’ve been doing in the races what I’ve been doing in practice, just coming from the back! This weekend we fit all together, we put it all together in qualifying and we started from the front row, not the best start but then in the race I could do a very good pace. Thanks to all the team for an awesome bike and an awesome weekend. The season isn’t finished so we’ll keep going!”
Izan Guevara (28) won the Moto3 race at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Guevara goes full GASGAS in Germany
The number 28 pulls clear for a stunning takeover at the Sachsenring, with Foggia pipping Garcia to third
Izan Guevara (GASGAS Aspar Team) proved both an unstoppable force and an immovable object at the front of the field in the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, turning his ominous pace into another stylishly conquered 25 points. The fight to complete the podium saw another two title fight titans duel it out, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) ultimately coming out on top ahead of Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Aspar Team), but not for lack of trying on the part of the Championship leader.
Into Turn 1 it looked like the Leopard duo of Foggia and teammate Tatsuki Suzuki had got the job done and leapfrogged Guevara, but the number 28 hung it round the outside to retain the holeshot. That spelled the start of an almost impossible task for his competitors, with the GASGAS rider already having shown ominous pace ahead of the race. And so it was, as he edged clear tenth by tenth and then really got the hammer down to make some serious breathing space.
As Guevara enjoyed the drama free track day experience at the front, there was plenty of drama behind, however. First an incident on Lap 1 saw Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) make contact with Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse), with John McPhee (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) also pushed wide but remaining upright and getting back on track. But it turned out there had been drama already, as Kaito Toba (CIP Green power) jumped the start, and so too had Deniz Öncü. That made it game on for the Turk to overcome both a starting position outside the top 20 and then the requisite two Long Laps for the jump start…
FIM MotoGP™ Stewards
For causing a crash, Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) has been given a Double Long Lap penalty for the Moto3™ race at the Motul TT Assen.
Further ahead, Guevara was gone but it was a close fight for second and the rest of the podium. Foggia, Garcia, Suzuki and Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) had their elbows out for much of the race, but ultimately the two highest in the standings were able to pull clear – and put on a classic duel.
Guevara crossed the line with time to spare, but into the final corner Foggia vs Garcia went to the wire. And of course, the number 11 gave it a shot. He made it through but then suffered a wobble on the exit, and Foggia blasted back past for those valuable 20 points, leaving Garcia forced to settle for third.
Sasaki returned to action with another impressive top five, just under a second behind Garcia over the line and pulling a few clear of Suzuki as the second Leopard completed the top five.
Next came Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo), but the rookie had to work for it as he crossed the line just six tenths ahead of Öncü. From P24 on the grid via two Long Lap penalties, the Turk took 7th and keeps his incredible points-scoring streak in 2022: he’s the only rider who’s scored in every Moto3™ race so far.
Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech3) takes P8, with David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) also impressing again in ninth. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) completed the top ten.
And so leaving Germany to head back west for the Dutch TT, it’s still Garcia in the driving seat but it’s closer once again. Garcia leads Guevara by 10 points as the Geert Timmer chicane awaits… join us for more next weekend!
Moto3™ PODIUM
1 Izan Guevara (GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – 39’14.946
Izan Guevara: “Incredible race for me. Five consecutive podiums in the World Championship is amazing. Seven points from Sergio is incredible. Great pace alone, lap by lap, fantastic pace with 27. Incredible race, incredible work from my team and Assen more!”
American-born racer Rossi Moor won Northern Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany. Kevin Farkas was the runner-up, and Dustin Schneider finished third.
American-born Rossi Moor (center) on top of the Northern Talent Cup podium at Sachsenring with Race One runner-up Kevin Farkas (left) and third-place finisher Dustin Schneider (right). Photo courtesy Dorna.
José Rueda untouchable in Sachsenring Rookies Race 1
Jose Rueda (99). Photo courtesy Red Bull.
A perfect masterclass from José Rueda left the chasing pack of KTM RC 250 R’s well behind as the Spanish 16-year-old dominated Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race 1 at the Sachsenring.
The thrills were happening 10 seconds behind with an incredible 15 rider battle for the points positions eventually won by Australian 15-year-old Harrison Voight over Italian 16-year-old Luca Lunetta.
Rueda romped away
“I am really so happy with everything. So far this weekend has been perfect, it’s my first time here, I love the track, I took pole and then the race win.”
“I was confident going into the race, I felt I had a little bit over the others and that if I pushed from the start I could get away.”
“I wanted to get clear before the tyres lost some performance and that is what happened after about 8 laps. By then I had a good advantage, the tyres were sliding but it was quite predictable and I enjoyed that too.”
“I’m not going to change anything for tomorrow, I will try and do the same thing if I can.”
Voight made the move at the right time
“I’m pretty happy with that one. It’s quite emotional, I’m a bit speechless at the moment. Very happy to come back from injury and get a result like that.”
“I made a bad start, I tried to push hard but had so many big moments, honestly I nearly crashed a couple of times.”
“I thought, ‘come on, just bring it home, learn from the group.’ Then I noticed during the race everyone started struggling with the temperature. I felt that my tyre wasn’t too bad, especially on the brakes.”
“I saw that into Turn 1 they all slowed up a lot and there was a big gap and I realised that I could make a good pass and I passed a load of kids.”
“On the last lap I passed Lunetta because I knew it was best to be in front.”
“We’ll have a look at changing the suspension for tomorrow but at the moment I’m not sure.”
Lunetta in the heat of the battle
“I loved it today, it was such a fun race and I really enjoy the track. It is so great to be on the podium again.”
“It was so hot out there, really hard for everyone but I managed the tyre so that they went the distance without too much trouble. We had close battles all the way, it got really close at times but we love that.”
“I have to say thank you to my family and everyone who supports me. The bike was great, we will not change anything for tomorrow.”
Collin Veijer pushes hard for 4th
“It was a great race, the start wasn’t perfect,” explained the 17-year-old Dutchman. “I dropped back a bit but then I got a bit of pace and tried to move up. Mid race I caught the group and tried to get to the front, my gearing was quite long and I wasn’t getting into 6th.”
“My bike wasn’t feeling powerful and it was difficult but I managed to get some good points.”
“We’ll change the gearing and try to make things better for tomorrow.”
Casey O’Gorman comes from last to 6th
“I didn’t get a very good start and didn’t get past many guys on the first lap,” explained the 14-year-old Irishman after a crash on the first lap of Qualifying left him starting from the back of the grid. “Everyone told me to take it easy and I did, just going forward one by one.”
“I got to the front group and then people started to battle with me and I wasn’t going forwards.”
“Then with 5 laps to go I really went for it and down the waterfall into the left hander I braked really late and went round the outside of 4 people.”
“Then on the last lap into the first corner, I was catching on Arbi and he was going in so fast I had to do everything to stop the bike. I could see them two were about to crash and I just managed to stop the bike, I was all over the place. Then it was me and Farioli battling for the last lap.”
“I think the way I did it today was good and I need to do the same tomorrow, we’ll go longer on the gearing because in the big group I was revving out at the bottom of the hill.”
Eddie O’Shea knocked out of a podium place
“One of the best races of the season so far, on a par with Mugello and to have such a good race end like that in the way that it did on the last lap is really gutting for me,” stated the British 15-year-old who was knocked off at the first corner on the lat lap.
“I really feel that I’ve stepped up to the point that I have the pace to run at the front and even win a race and it’s really tough to be knocked off like that.”
“In the beginning the tyres felt really good, I remember seeing 11 laps to go and I thought it was time to push. But then the performance really dropped and kept going down. I could see all the groups lap times going and I could see it was the same for everyone.”
“I’m looking forward to Race 2, the bike felt perfect, it has all weekend. We made some big changes in FP2 but after that it’s been brilliant.”
Max Quiles misses big move
“I’m not very happy and a bit angry,” said the 14-year-old Spaniard who finished 12th after having his late race plan thwarted. “I wanted to do like Jerez, keeping something in the tyres for the last laps. I was P6 and going to push but Eddie O’Shea and Aditama crashed and I had to brake because I saw the bikes flying and a lot of people overtook me.”
“So I couldn’t gain any positions, I hope we can do better tomorrow, the bike is good we will not change anything.”
Editorial Note: American Julian Correa finished P9 in British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Knockhill. Countryman Eli Banish, meanwhile, suffered a DNF.
Ray returns to winning ways as Skinner celebrates home podium at Knockhill
Race One winner Bradley Ray (center), runner-up Jason O’Halloran (left), and third-place finisher Rory Skinner (right) on the podium at Knockhill. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Bradley Ray claimed his third race win of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season, delivering a masterful performance at Knockhill to take the chequered flag in the eBay Sprint Race ahead of Jason O’Halloran and home hero Rory Skinner.
Ray had set a lap record-breaking pace to claim pole position and the Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha rider was determined to return to winning ways after fighting back from a crash yesterday.
Ray got off to a flying start and despite the initial pressure from the chasing pack, he kept his cool to break his rivals and extend his lead at the top of the championship standings.
The battle for the final podium positions were intense as O’Halloran dived into second on the opening lap ahead of Skinner and Danny Buchan, who split the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki teammates.
Kyle Ryde was also in the battle in the earlier stages of the race, but Skinner was instantly on the attack and moved ahead of the McAMS Yamaha rider on the second lap.
The Australian fought back and soon had regained the position as Ryde then moved into third place ahead of the Team Green teammates as Skinner and Lee Jackson tried to regain the positions.
Skinner was determined and with six laps remaining, he had regained third place but O’Halloran had bridged a marginal gap in second place and he would hold it until the finish.
Skinner’s third place wasn’t safe; he was coming under intense pressure from his teammate as he continued to trade positions with Jackson over the final laps. However, it was the local contender, who returned to the podium for the first time since the season opener, claiming a hard-fought third place ahead of Jackson.
Danny Buchan had managed to get ahead of Ryde to snatch fifth place with Glenn Irwin holding off Tommy Bridewell for seventh.
Storm Stacey had his best finish of the season so far in ninth place for Team LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki as Josh Brookes completed the top ten.
Defending champion Tarran Mackenzie was sidelined from the eBay Sprint race following a high-speed crash in the opening stage of this afternoon’s SUPERPICKS Qualifying session. The McAMS Yamaha sustained heavy damage in the crash and so he will be back in action tomorrow.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, eBay Sprint Race result:
7. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 72
8. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 70
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Bradley Ray
Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha
eBay Sprint Race winner – Knockhill
“That was a bit of a strange race for me to be fair; I set off at the start and I hadn’t planned on leading from start to finish! I just wanted to get my head down at the start and took it quite steady over the first few laps and I set a pace I was comfortable with and I didn’t feel near the limit.
“I got to about lap 12 and I had pulled about 0.5s and I thought it was the time to make a gap if I could. I managed to put in some strong laps and it meant I could pull a bit of a gap.
“I am super happy with the bike, especially after the lack of track time after missing the test and the crash yesterday.
“I would say this has been my best win of the season so far because of that; the other guys had laps under their belt from testing and I only had five laps yesterday so I only had today to get up to speed today.
“I am over the moon to bring the win home for Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha.”
American-born Rossi Moor (92) leading Kevin Farkas (28), Dustin Schneider (20), and the rest during Northern Talent Cup Race Two at Sachsenring in 2022. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Kevin Farkas (Agria Racing Team) emerged victorious from Race 2 in the Northern Talent Cup at the Sachsenring as the top two in the Cup standings went head-to-head for the second time in as many days. Title leader Rossi Moor (Farium Next Generation Riders) crossed the line first but the Hungarian exceeded track limits on the last lap, which handed victory to second across the line Farkas. Lenoxx Phommara (Team Phommara) came from eighth on the grid to pick up his first dry podium of the season.
It was another spellbinding NTC race in scorching conditions at the Sachsenring as 17 riders battled it out in the leading group from the off, with Farkas once again grabbing an early lead despite starting on the outside of the second row. The lead changed every lap though with Turns 1, 12 and 13 acting as the main action areas, but the two consistently at the front of the freight train were Farkas and Moor. And, as expected, the fight for victory went down to the very last lap.
Dropping down the famous Waterfall section, Moor went for the inside line but ventured onto the green when overtaking Farkas. Moor’s late braking at Turn 12 and Turn 13 helped him cross the line in P1 but the number 92 was demoted one place for exceeding track limits, which saw Farkas promoted to P1 – his second victory of the year.
Moor ended the day P2 with Phommara producing some great late race pace to claw his way onto the podium in third, as polesitter Jurrien Van Crugten (BB64 Academy) narrowly missed out on a debut rostrum in P4.
Martin Vincze (Chrobak Motorsport Egyesulet) finished P5, just half a second away from victory, as Race 1 podium finisher Dustin Schneider (Goblin Racing) settled for P6, 0.6s shy. Seventh place finisher Rocco Sessler (MCA Racing) was also under a second from the win, as Maxime Schmid (Team Schmid), Matteo Masili (Farium Next Generation Riders) and Loris Veneman (Team NL Open Line) – who was handed a three-second penalty at the end of the race – completed the top 10.
That’s all from a sensational two races at the Sachsenring! Next up for the NTC riders is a short trip north to the TT Circuit Assen, where once again they’ll join the MotoGP™ paddock for a weekend at the Cathedral of Speed.
O’Halloran Scot talent: Double win at Knockhill closes the gap at the top of the championship
Jason O’Halloran on top of the podium at Knockhill. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Jason O’Halloran celebrated a double Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win in front of a bumper crowd at Knockhill, holding off standings leader Bradley Ray in the final race of the weekend by just 0.993s as the McAMS Yamaha rider banished his previous bad luck at the Scottish circuit.
O’Halloran had earlier overcome his previous Knockhill demons to claim his first ever Bennetts BSB race win at the Fife circuit in the second race of the weekend, holding off his title rivals to return to the top of the podium.
At the start of the race Kyle Ryde had hit the front of the pack ahead of teammate Ray and Rory Skinner, but the local contender was into the lead by the time they crossed the line to complete the first lap.
At the front, Skinner was trying to hold off Ray and O’Halloran, who had pushed Ryde down the order, but on the eighth lap Leon Haslam and Storm Stacey crashed at the Hairpin, causing a BMW Safety Car intervention.
When the race resumed, Skinner was still able to hold off Ray and O’Halloran initially, but the McAMS Yamaha rider was on a charge. On lap 22, Ray got slightly out of line coming into the Hairpin and O’Halloran seized the opportunity to move ahead.
O’Halloran then had Skinner in his sights as he hunted his elusive first race win in Scotland. He made his move to hit the front of the field with four laps remaining as Lee Jackson also joined the trio ahead of him to fight for the podium.
As O’Halloran had the marginal edge, the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki riders were dueling for second place, trading blows for several laps. Skinner led the teammates at the start of the final lap, but then Jackson made his move.
Jackson held off the counter attack from Skinner as the pair awarded the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki team their first double podium finish with Ray taking the chequered flag in fourth place.
Tommy Bridewell completed the top five for the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team as he had an advantage over Josh Brookes, Danny Buchan and Glenn Irwin. Ryde meanwhile dropped to ninth as Tarran Mackenzie salvaged tenth place following his back of the grid start after he missed yesterday’s eBay Sprint race.
At the start of the third race, local hero Skinner was bidding to add a hat trick of podium finishes to his tally at his home round, and he launched into the lead on the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki ahead of O’Halloran and Ray.
Skinner though crashed out of the lead on the fifth lap and that left Ray, who had moved into second, and O’Halloran, to have a Yamaha duel for supremacy at the front of the field.
Ray was holding the advantage until there were just five laps to go when the McAMS Yamaha rider made his attack; diving down the inside at the Hairpin to take the lead.
O’Halloran was able to edge a 0.993s over Ray at the chequered flag, with the battle for third becoming a five-way scrap before Jackson fought off the opposition, claiming his second podium finish of the weekend.
Buchan had carved his way through the field on the SYNETIQ BMW to claim fourth place to secure his best result of the season so far, making moves on the dicing pack of Bridewell, Glenn Irwin and Josh Brookes.
Mackenzie closed in on Brookes over the final laps, taking eighth place for McAMS Yamaha with Ryde and Tom Sykes completing the top ten.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Knockhill:
Bradley Ray (Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha) 216
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 200
Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki) 174
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 94
Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) 84
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Jason O’Halloran
McAMS Yamaha
Knockhill double race winner
“It’s been an incredible weekend, yesterday I was absolutely buzzing with second. This isn’t the best track for me, but I enjoyed the race yesterday and I was looking forward to today.
“The guys have done a great job with the bike, improved it a bit off the back of yesterday and it felt incredible and managed to get another pair of wins.
“We’ve had four wins in the last six races, six podiums from six races and we are closing down the podium points and championship leads.
“An awesome couple of weekends, I’m feeling super strong in the races, in complete control and I can’t wait to keep progressing and getting stronger as the season moves on.”
Wayne Maxwell (1) leads Mike Jones (46), Bryan Staring (67), Glenn Allerton (14), Arthur Sissis (61) and the rest during an Australian Superbike race Sunday at Hidden Valley Raceway. Photo by Karl Phillipson @optikalphoto, courtesy ASBK.
Race 2: 16 Laps
Starts. For most riders they’re just something to get done for good or ill and then get down to the actual real business of racing.
But that’s not how racing works. Get a bad start and you’ll find yourself with plenty to do. Motorcycle racing can be more forgiving compared to our four wheeled cousins where passing is at a premium.
For Wayne Maxwell and Arthur Sissis, they found themselves as the yin and yang of Race Two. Arthur repeated his good start of yesterday but with a little greatness thrown in this time round, taking his Yamaha from seventh to first into turn one. For Wayne Maxwell, short of crashing, he could not have had a worse start. “Like a kid trying to pop a wheelie on a BMX” was the call from the track announcer and it was hard to argue with that analysis, as the reigning champion effectively swapped grid places with Sissis.
It felt like a pivotal moment for both men. For Sissis it was the realisation that he could not only get to the front, but he could box on with the likes of Herfoss, Jones, Halliday and Allerton.
For Maxwell, it appeared to be the moment he conceded more points to Jones and with it potentially the title.
Up front, for five solid laps Arthur Sissis contested the lead and was P1 every time over the finish line. The South Australian Sissis gave as good as he got, showing that a good start was not all he had. In a field of wily, older racers, it was gratifying to see a twenty something serving up a hot bowl of quality race craft to the olde brigade. Staring had to use everything he had at his disposal- including the mighty DesmoSport Ducati’s straight-line advantage- to squeeze into the lead.
Championship leader Mike Jones just did that thing he does; circulating steadily and without fanfare while everyone else dropped bombs and occasionally banged fairings. It was easy to get suckered into an MMA-style battle for position, but the blue 46 Yamaha of Jones sat comfortably in fourth. While Sissis was conceding the lead to Staring on lap five, the formerly serene Jones found himself being passed by man-on-a-mission Wayne Maxwell. There was no dicing, the #1 Ducati just blew by him as Maxwell had eyes only for the front of the field.
Herfoss barged his way past Sissis and kindly left a Mike Jones sized gap and then Arthur out braked himself into turn one, running wide and just like that, a podium chance went begging.
Maxwell remained fixated on his mission and despite the Pirellis having great grip for the whole distance thus far, it was hard to believe he hadn’t somehow set them afire with his relentless pace that included a lap record (1:05.407) in case anyone needed convincing.
As the race drew closer to the checkered flag, it was a race between two warring parties: Maxwell and Staring, Jones and Herfoss. With the usual benefit of hindsight, they ought to have called a ceasefire to get away- or catch up- as their dicing was slowing their pace and the leading pair could not get away allowing the chasers to stay within a shot. Jones pulled out all he had and was able to get past Staring on the last lap.
But it was Maxwell at the flag who had been able to bang out some solid laps to deny Jones any chance of a tow to the line and take the win.
Wayne Maxwell. Photo by Karl Phillipson @optikalphoto, courtesy ASBK.
Staring came home in third with Herfoss in fourth, unable to match his heroic second from Saturday. He later conceded that his pace is his pace and there’s not much left.
The top four completed the 16-lap journey inside Jones’ winning time from Saturday, a fair indication of how the track was perhaps better, but also that the riders and teams found a little more to close the gap to Mike Jones. One rider noted it was a “good old-fashioned race with battles everywhere” and that was evident from the provisional lap chart.
Supercars fans unaccustomed to the frenetic pace and punch-ons that the Alpinestars Superbike class can deliver, were impressed.
Wayne Maxwell showed that he’s absolutely at his best when on the ropes and that anyone thinking he was out of the hunt for ‘22 were very, very wrong.
…and there was still one race to come.
Race Three – Once More Dear Friend
“…it can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop… ever..” The Terminator.
Motorsport remains a “funny old game” even if that is a cliche. One race- say race two today at Hidden Valley- you might pull out a ride that has commentators searching for new superlatives.
Other times you have an innocuous low side and hand your main rival not only a race win, but maybe the Championship.
When, as Wayne Maxwell did, you do this in back-to-back races, well then yes, absolutely, it is indeed “a funny old game”.
Early on, it wasn’t funny, but it was certainly entertaining as the leading duo in the championship were also the leading duo in race three. They swapped the lead a few times and then a resurgent and confident Glenn Allerton found himself back close to the front again. On lap four Allerton pushed past longtime rival Maxwell and with all the self-confidence we know Glenn has, he clearly began to think about winning the race.
Maxwell, however, fell into the clutches of Staring and Herfoss, and coming out of turn six he just twisted the throttle a little too much and had the easiest, slowest and costliest low side. He knew what the stakes were and did not let go of the bike, preferring to spin to a slow stop while gripping onto the bike and his title chances with both hands. Maxwell remounted, but there would be no repeat of his race two heroics, the front runners were gone and the gap to season-saving points was half a lap up the road.
This middle phase of the race made it clear that it’s time Mike Jones retired the “Mad Mike” moniker. Mad has too many aggressive and wild connotations. His performance this weekend and particularly in race three was not mad. Some said it was robotic, and if this is true, then he is the Terminator. He just did everything needed to execute the mission. Solid laps, a bigger gap and then eyes were just on the battle for second as the blue R1 with the familiar 46 on it loudly drew away from the field.
Mike Jones. Photo by Karl Phillipson @optikalphoto, courtesy ASBK.
The battle for second was on in earnest with the trio of Allerton, Staring and Herfoss all rightly laying claim to the spot while Halliday and Sissis drove their Yamahas hard to stay in contact. Allerton found himself down as low as fourth, Herfoss as high as second, but also as low as fourth. With three laps to go, Staring had both Allerton and Herfoss push past and set sail for the line. Their battle would come down to the last corners and when Herfoss tried his usual up-the-inside move, Allerton placed himself decisively in his way and Herfoss was unable to perform his favorite move.
That was how they ran to the line. Jones – Daylight- Allerton– Herfoss– Staring.
Wayne Maxwell was able to move up to 11th for ten points and salvage something from the low side disaster at turn six, but now finds himself some 40 points (162) behind Jones (202). It is not insurmountable, but every time Jones has a round where he stretches his lead, Maxwell has one less round to catch him. The maths look difficult with three rounds, six races remaining and a maximum of 153 points on offer.
For the other top contenders- Staring (155) is now within 7 points of second in the Championship, while Halliday, Herfoss and Waters find themselves – incredibly – on the same points in fourth (136). That will be some kind of battle for the rest of the season. Allerton and Sissis are next and also sit together on 131 points.
The Championship now has a mid-winter break before reconvening at Morgan Park 5-7 August, with the regular classes rejoining us for what promises to be a hectic back half of the season.
Mike Jones, First Overall:
“The team did a fantastic job and gave me a bike that I was able to race on in all conditions. When the track was in the cool conditions, we were able to go fast, when the track was hot and greasy it was a bike that was ridable and comfortable enough to be able to be super consistent on.”
“Overall first for the weekend and extending our championship lead is very important for us leaving here this weekend.”
“The trickiest thing was on the Sunday we’ve got two races, but we don’t have a warmup session, we just go straight into the first race. I found that tricky because it’s not something we don’t normally do.”
Troy Herfoss, Second Overall:
“Yesterday was pretty emotional to be honest… I won’t forget yesterday anytime soon, that was a big day for me.”
“Driving off the corner, especially turn one here when you’re on the side of the tyre for a while, when I’m picking the bike up I’m just not driving forward. The bike’s not slow, but I look like I’m slow down the straight because I’m so bad off the last corner.”
“Moving to Morgan Park that issue’s gonna be sidelined for now… all the corners where we brake hard, accelerate out and you can get that pitch in the bike, I’m quite good and the bike works quite well… I feel like I’ll be strong at Morgan Park.”
Glenn Allerton Third in Race Three:
“I feel like we were in a battle for the podium all weekend… we improved the bike for race 2 and overall the package was better but we had a mechanical problem with the seat unit and the whole ducktail coming loose with the bike, I just rode around for points in the end of that race.”
“I knew that I needed to just sit on Troy and when he made a move, make a move straight away on Bryan as well… which I managed to do.”
“He’s (Troy) always going to go the inside up there on those last two corners and I knew it, so I rode tight on the entry to make him go even tighter than normal… All I wanted for him to do was to have to commit more than he wanted to so that he would roll wide on the exit so that I could drive down the last turn and it pretty much played out exactly how I wanted it.”
Bryan Staring, Third Overall:
“We wanted more than we got, really I think we need to go back and review the weekend as to why we didn’t get it… That will only make us stronger for the future.”
“We were very much in the fight, we put in a massive show and huge effort to challenge all the riders… we were certainly a big part of the show for ASBK this weekend.”
“The first race is a good example that I was prepared to fight in the closing laps… The last race is an example that I couldn’t fight in the last laps”
Advantage Quartararo: Bagnaia crashes out as El Diablo stamps some authority on the Sachsenring
The reigning Champion pulls clear, Bagnaia slides out early and Zarco and Miller beat Aleix Espargaro to the podium
Fabio Quartararo (20) won the MotoGP race at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Sunday, 19 June 2022
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) extended his advantage with a decisive win at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, pulling clear of compatriot Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) for a French 1-2. There was a potentially key shift in the title fight on Sunday too, as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) slid out early on, with teammate Jack Miller then going on to slice past two Aprilias to complete the podium – overcoming a Long Lap penalty he’d been given on Saturday.
Quartararo nabbed the holeshot from Bagnaia, and the number 63 got tucked in on the chase. He briefly took over at the start of Lap 2 but El Diablo hit back, and not long after disaster struck for Pecco, the rear sliding out on Lap 4. From that point on, Quartararo had the hammer down.
After that, Zarco was into second past Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Miller next up. The Australian then served his Long Lap for crashing under yellows on Saturday, dropping to seventh but soon back past Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
By then, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was past Diggia and tucked in behind teammate Espargaro, applying the pressure for a good few laps. Would he make a move? It was the best show of pace so far from the number 12, but then bad luck hit: the ride rear height device got stuck, and that was race over for ‘Top Gun’.
After little more than 20 laps, Quartararo had stretched his margin over Zarco to more than three seconds. His fellow Frenchman enjoyed a similar gap over Aleix Espargaro, but Aprilia’s ‘Captain’ was coming under serious attention from Miller. The number 43 fired his Ducati down the inside at Turn 1 on Lap 23 but ran it in too deep, and the result was the same when he tried again on Lap 26. Ironically, Espargaro himself went wide through there on Lap 28 and Miller marched on through into third.
Johann Zarco finished second. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Quartararo got more than five seconds ahead of the rest of the field in the last handful of laps before cruising to victory by a final margin of 4.939 seconds. Zarco took the chequered flag 3.433 seconds up on Miller, with Aleix Espargaro a few tenths further back and off the podium.
Fifth was a stunning ride from Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), and he prevailed in a battle against fellow sophomore Martin, Marini also getting a little too close for comfort to the battle ahead in the latter stages.
Jack Miller (43) came back from a Long Lap penalty to finish third. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM factory Racing) demonstrated once again that he is the quintessential ‘Sunday man’ by riding up from 15th on the grid to seventh, BB33 getting his elbows out. The top 10 was rounded out by Di Giannantonio, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) as the Beast recovered from as low down as P20 in the early stages.
Points were also scored by Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) in 11th just ahead of some more points for fellow rookie Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing). Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) were next up, ahead of Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing). Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) was the last rider to make it home after a race of attrition.
A further five riders joined Bagnaia and Viñales as DNFs. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) retired due to rib pain from a crash in Free Practice and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) also had a rear ride height device failure after it wouldn’t disengage after the start. His team-mate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) crashed out, as did Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). The latter did so at Turn 1, moments after Bagnaia had gone down there, having been wide when Oliveira went to overtake him.
It’s now 34 points of breathing space for Quartararo at the top of the standings. Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro remains second in the title race after finishing fourth at the Sachsenring but the Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia has a mountain to climb after he crashed out while chasing Quartararo on Lap 4.
Now, we head to the ‘Cathedral’ for the last round before the summer break. Can Quartararo hammer that advantage home? Tune in for the Motul TT Assen on June 24-26!
MotoGP™ PODIUM
1 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Yamaha- +0.635
2 Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) – Ducati – +4.939
3 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +8.372
Fabio Quartararo: “I feel tired! I was ill during the whole weekend, and in the race I was coughing a little bit, and I have no words. We made a choice on the rear tyre, the medium, that was really risky, and in the race, we were lucky because it dropped much more than expected, but I’m super happy!
“Today is Father’s Day in France and I haven’t said anything until now, so now I want to say Happy Father’s Day!”
Augusto Fernandez (37) won the Moto2 race. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Fernandez on formidable form to break clear for victory
The number 37 dominates but it’s a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 as Acosta pips Lowes to third
Augusto Fernandez dominated the Moto2™ Race at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, slicing through to the front and then pulling away for a stylish second win of the season – and bringing himself within just 12 points of the Championship lead held by Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) as the Italian crashed out. Pedro Acosta made it a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 after a great last lap duel against Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), the Brit forced to settle for third but putting to bed a run of some bad luck.
Lowes was looking to end a run of five straight zeroes after he qualified on pole, and the Briton duly converted that starting position into the early lead. Home hero Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) came from fifth on the grid to emerge in second position in the opening corners of his home race, ahead of Fernandez, Albert Arenas (GASGAS Aspar Team), and Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team). Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40), meanwhile, dropped from sixth to 12th and Vietti from eighth to 10th.
Acosta moved into the top five when he got by Roberts on Lap 3 at Turn 1 and, after it looked like Lowes and Schrötter might break away from the pack, Fernandez took matters into his own hands. For three laps in a row, he went on the attack at Turn 3, getting Arenas on Lap 4, Schrötter on Lap 5, and then Lowes for the lead on Lap 6.
Near the end of that sixth lap, Acosta went underneath Arenas for fourth spot at Turn 12, and he was into the podium places at the end of Lap 7 after Schrötter had a big rear end moment as he opened the throttle exiting Turn 13. The German briefly dropped to fifth due to the near-crash but reclaimed one of those positions when he outbraked Arenas as they arrived at Turn 1 again, and keeping himself in contention for a rostrum finish.
Fernandez galloped to a one-second lead on Lap 8, and had doubled that in just three laps more. Lowes continued to run in second spot and Acosta in third, as Schrötter came under pressure from Arenas. By then, Canet had recovered as far as sixth position, but Vietti was having a much tougher task of it as he fought to try and get back into the top 10.
In fact, Vietti had slumped as far back as 14th when he was passed by Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) on Lap 14, before Lowes handed second to Acosta when he had a moment at Turn 3. Meanwhile, Fernandez was not letting up and his gap over second place had grown to four seconds.
Still, the rest of the top 10 was hotly contested and Canet ceded sixth to Fermin Aldeguer on Lap 16. Three laps later, he had lost seventh position to Aldeguer’s MB Conveyors Speed Up teammate, Alonso Lopez. Then, it was one of Canet’s key rivals in the World Championship who relegated him another spot. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), who only qualified 14th, had passed Vietti for 12th in a key move in the context of the title fight on Lap 5, was into the top 10 on Lap 12 before overtaking Canet for eighth on Lap 20 at Turn 1.
Aldeguer got into the top five by passing Arenas, but the next really big moment was Vietti dropping his VR46 machine at Turn 1. The Italian looked to have completed a pass on Gonzalez for 11th position at the start of Lap 22 but folded the front…
Meanwhile, Lowes and Schrötter were coming back into the reckoning for second and Lowes passed Acosta on Lap 25 at Turn 12, but Acosta hit back on the next lap at Turn 2. The Brit hit back at Turn 11, only for the rookie to respond once more with a pass at the very next corner.
All of that dicing turned a duel into a four-rider battle as Schrötter and Aldeguer closed in. The German got by Lowes at the start of the penultimate lap but the Marc VDS rider returned the favour at the end of it. It seemed like it could hardly get any closer but then it did get as close as possible – literally – when Lowes and Acosta had a touch as they ran from Turn 12 to the final corner on the final lap.
Acosta hung on to claim second at the chequered flag, 7.704 seconds behind teammate Fernandez but 0.140 seconds up on Lowes. Schrötter was only another 0.115 seconds behind again, just missing out on another home GP podium, and Aldeguer was close behind in fifth, too. He would then have three seconds added to his race time as he got a Long Lap penalty for track limits and there was insufficient time to take it, but it made no difference to the final outcome as the Boscoscuro rider was classified fifth.
Rounding out the top 10 were Arenas, Lopez, Ogura, Canet, and Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team). The rest of the points finishers were Jake Dixon (GASGAS Aspar Team), Gonzalez, Roberts, Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), and Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia).
In the World Championship, Vietti is still on top, but his gap over Ogura has been cut to just eight points – and Fernandez’s win puts him into third at only 12 points back from the Italian, with Canet now 17 points off the pace at the halfway mark of the season. Thatt makes the last round before the summer break all the more important, so make sure you don’t miss the Motul TT Assen on June 24-26!
3 Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) – Kalex – +7.844
Augusto Fernandez: “It was unbelievable. Honestly I felt like in practice….well, in the last few races I’ve been doing in the races what I’ve been doing in practice, just coming from the back! This weekend we fit all together, we put it all together in qualifying and we started from the front row, not the best start but then in the race I could do a very good pace. Thanks to all the team for an awesome bike and an awesome weekend. The season isn’t finished so we’ll keep going!”
Izan Guevara (28) won the Moto3 race at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Guevara goes full GASGAS in Germany
The number 28 pulls clear for a stunning takeover at the Sachsenring, with Foggia pipping Garcia to third
Izan Guevara (GASGAS Aspar Team) proved both an unstoppable force and an immovable object at the front of the field in the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, turning his ominous pace into another stylishly conquered 25 points. The fight to complete the podium saw another two title fight titans duel it out, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) ultimately coming out on top ahead of Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Aspar Team), but not for lack of trying on the part of the Championship leader.
Into Turn 1 it looked like the Leopard duo of Foggia and teammate Tatsuki Suzuki had got the job done and leapfrogged Guevara, but the number 28 hung it round the outside to retain the holeshot. That spelled the start of an almost impossible task for his competitors, with the GASGAS rider already having shown ominous pace ahead of the race. And so it was, as he edged clear tenth by tenth and then really got the hammer down to make some serious breathing space.
As Guevara enjoyed the drama free track day experience at the front, there was plenty of drama behind, however. First an incident on Lap 1 saw Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) make contact with Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse), with John McPhee (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) also pushed wide but remaining upright and getting back on track. But it turned out there had been drama already, as Kaito Toba (CIP Green power) jumped the start, and so too had Deniz Öncü. That made it game on for the Turk to overcome both a starting position outside the top 20 and then the requisite two Long Laps for the jump start…
FIM MotoGP™ Stewards
For causing a crash, Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) has been given a Double Long Lap penalty for the Moto3™ race at the Motul TT Assen.
Further ahead, Guevara was gone but it was a close fight for second and the rest of the podium. Foggia, Garcia, Suzuki and Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) had their elbows out for much of the race, but ultimately the two highest in the standings were able to pull clear – and put on a classic duel.
Guevara crossed the line with time to spare, but into the final corner Foggia vs Garcia went to the wire. And of course, the number 11 gave it a shot. He made it through but then suffered a wobble on the exit, and Foggia blasted back past for those valuable 20 points, leaving Garcia forced to settle for third.
Sasaki returned to action with another impressive top five, just under a second behind Garcia over the line and pulling a few clear of Suzuki as the second Leopard completed the top five.
Next came Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo), but the rookie had to work for it as he crossed the line just six tenths ahead of Öncü. From P24 on the grid via two Long Lap penalties, the Turk took 7th and keeps his incredible points-scoring streak in 2022: he’s the only rider who’s scored in every Moto3™ race so far.
Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech3) takes P8, with David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) also impressing again in ninth. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) completed the top ten.
And so leaving Germany to head back west for the Dutch TT, it’s still Garcia in the driving seat but it’s closer once again. Garcia leads Guevara by 10 points as the Geert Timmer chicane awaits… join us for more next weekend!
Moto3™ PODIUM
1 Izan Guevara (GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – 39’14.946
Izan Guevara: “Incredible race for me. Five consecutive podiums in the World Championship is amazing. Seven points from Sergio is incredible. Great pace alone, lap by lap, fantastic pace with 27. Incredible race, incredible work from my team and Assen more!”
American-born Rossi Moor (92) leading Northern Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Sachsenring. Photo courtesy Dorna.
American-born racer Rossi Moor won Northern Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Sachsenring, in Germany. Kevin Farkas was the runner-up, and Dustin Schneider finished third.
American-born Rossi Moor (center) on top of the Northern Talent Cup podium at Sachsenring with Race One runner-up Kevin Farkas (left) and third-place finisher Dustin Schneider (right). Photo courtesy Dorna.
José Rueda untouchable in Sachsenring Rookies Race 1
Jose Rueda (99). Photo courtesy Red Bull.
A perfect masterclass from José Rueda left the chasing pack of KTM RC 250 R’s well behind as the Spanish 16-year-old dominated Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race 1 at the Sachsenring.
The thrills were happening 10 seconds behind with an incredible 15 rider battle for the points positions eventually won by Australian 15-year-old Harrison Voight over Italian 16-year-old Luca Lunetta.
Rueda romped away
“I am really so happy with everything. So far this weekend has been perfect, it’s my first time here, I love the track, I took pole and then the race win.”
“I was confident going into the race, I felt I had a little bit over the others and that if I pushed from the start I could get away.”
“I wanted to get clear before the tyres lost some performance and that is what happened after about 8 laps. By then I had a good advantage, the tyres were sliding but it was quite predictable and I enjoyed that too.”
“I’m not going to change anything for tomorrow, I will try and do the same thing if I can.”
Voight made the move at the right time
“I’m pretty happy with that one. It’s quite emotional, I’m a bit speechless at the moment. Very happy to come back from injury and get a result like that.”
“I made a bad start, I tried to push hard but had so many big moments, honestly I nearly crashed a couple of times.”
“I thought, ‘come on, just bring it home, learn from the group.’ Then I noticed during the race everyone started struggling with the temperature. I felt that my tyre wasn’t too bad, especially on the brakes.”
“I saw that into Turn 1 they all slowed up a lot and there was a big gap and I realised that I could make a good pass and I passed a load of kids.”
“On the last lap I passed Lunetta because I knew it was best to be in front.”
“We’ll have a look at changing the suspension for tomorrow but at the moment I’m not sure.”
Lunetta in the heat of the battle
“I loved it today, it was such a fun race and I really enjoy the track. It is so great to be on the podium again.”
“It was so hot out there, really hard for everyone but I managed the tyre so that they went the distance without too much trouble. We had close battles all the way, it got really close at times but we love that.”
“I have to say thank you to my family and everyone who supports me. The bike was great, we will not change anything for tomorrow.”
Collin Veijer pushes hard for 4th
“It was a great race, the start wasn’t perfect,” explained the 17-year-old Dutchman. “I dropped back a bit but then I got a bit of pace and tried to move up. Mid race I caught the group and tried to get to the front, my gearing was quite long and I wasn’t getting into 6th.”
“My bike wasn’t feeling powerful and it was difficult but I managed to get some good points.”
“We’ll change the gearing and try to make things better for tomorrow.”
Casey O’Gorman comes from last to 6th
“I didn’t get a very good start and didn’t get past many guys on the first lap,” explained the 14-year-old Irishman after a crash on the first lap of Qualifying left him starting from the back of the grid. “Everyone told me to take it easy and I did, just going forward one by one.”
“I got to the front group and then people started to battle with me and I wasn’t going forwards.”
“Then with 5 laps to go I really went for it and down the waterfall into the left hander I braked really late and went round the outside of 4 people.”
“Then on the last lap into the first corner, I was catching on Arbi and he was going in so fast I had to do everything to stop the bike. I could see them two were about to crash and I just managed to stop the bike, I was all over the place. Then it was me and Farioli battling for the last lap.”
“I think the way I did it today was good and I need to do the same tomorrow, we’ll go longer on the gearing because in the big group I was revving out at the bottom of the hill.”
Eddie O’Shea knocked out of a podium place
“One of the best races of the season so far, on a par with Mugello and to have such a good race end like that in the way that it did on the last lap is really gutting for me,” stated the British 15-year-old who was knocked off at the first corner on the lat lap.
“I really feel that I’ve stepped up to the point that I have the pace to run at the front and even win a race and it’s really tough to be knocked off like that.”
“In the beginning the tyres felt really good, I remember seeing 11 laps to go and I thought it was time to push. But then the performance really dropped and kept going down. I could see all the groups lap times going and I could see it was the same for everyone.”
“I’m looking forward to Race 2, the bike felt perfect, it has all weekend. We made some big changes in FP2 but after that it’s been brilliant.”
Max Quiles misses big move
“I’m not very happy and a bit angry,” said the 14-year-old Spaniard who finished 12th after having his late race plan thwarted. “I wanted to do like Jerez, keeping something in the tyres for the last laps. I was P6 and going to push but Eddie O’Shea and Aditama crashed and I had to brake because I saw the bikes flying and a lot of people overtook me.”
“So I couldn’t gain any positions, I hope we can do better tomorrow, the bike is good we will not change anything.”
A BSB race start at Knockhill in 2021. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Editorial Note: American Julian Correa finished P9 in British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Knockhill. Countryman Eli Banish, meanwhile, suffered a DNF.
Ray returns to winning ways as Skinner celebrates home podium at Knockhill
Race One winner Bradley Ray (center), runner-up Jason O’Halloran (left), and third-place finisher Rory Skinner (right) on the podium at Knockhill. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Bradley Ray claimed his third race win of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season, delivering a masterful performance at Knockhill to take the chequered flag in the eBay Sprint Race ahead of Jason O’Halloran and home hero Rory Skinner.
Ray had set a lap record-breaking pace to claim pole position and the Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha rider was determined to return to winning ways after fighting back from a crash yesterday.
Ray got off to a flying start and despite the initial pressure from the chasing pack, he kept his cool to break his rivals and extend his lead at the top of the championship standings.
The battle for the final podium positions were intense as O’Halloran dived into second on the opening lap ahead of Skinner and Danny Buchan, who split the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki teammates.
Kyle Ryde was also in the battle in the earlier stages of the race, but Skinner was instantly on the attack and moved ahead of the McAMS Yamaha rider on the second lap.
The Australian fought back and soon had regained the position as Ryde then moved into third place ahead of the Team Green teammates as Skinner and Lee Jackson tried to regain the positions.
Skinner was determined and with six laps remaining, he had regained third place but O’Halloran had bridged a marginal gap in second place and he would hold it until the finish.
Skinner’s third place wasn’t safe; he was coming under intense pressure from his teammate as he continued to trade positions with Jackson over the final laps. However, it was the local contender, who returned to the podium for the first time since the season opener, claiming a hard-fought third place ahead of Jackson.
Danny Buchan had managed to get ahead of Ryde to snatch fifth place with Glenn Irwin holding off Tommy Bridewell for seventh.
Storm Stacey had his best finish of the season so far in ninth place for Team LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki as Josh Brookes completed the top ten.
Defending champion Tarran Mackenzie was sidelined from the eBay Sprint race following a high-speed crash in the opening stage of this afternoon’s SUPERPICKS Qualifying session. The McAMS Yamaha sustained heavy damage in the crash and so he will be back in action tomorrow.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, eBay Sprint Race result:
7. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 72
8. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 70
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Bradley Ray
Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha
eBay Sprint Race winner – Knockhill
“That was a bit of a strange race for me to be fair; I set off at the start and I hadn’t planned on leading from start to finish! I just wanted to get my head down at the start and took it quite steady over the first few laps and I set a pace I was comfortable with and I didn’t feel near the limit.
“I got to about lap 12 and I had pulled about 0.5s and I thought it was the time to make a gap if I could. I managed to put in some strong laps and it meant I could pull a bit of a gap.
“I am super happy with the bike, especially after the lack of track time after missing the test and the crash yesterday.
“I would say this has been my best win of the season so far because of that; the other guys had laps under their belt from testing and I only had five laps yesterday so I only had today to get up to speed today.
“I am over the moon to bring the win home for Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha.”
A “press release” is promotional text issued by a rider, team, company or organization to inform
the public about an event, product, or service from the issuer’s own point of view, and if deemed
to have news value, may be placed on roadracingworld.com as a service to our readers.
A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers. When a post is labeled with the words “press release”, it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate. Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors.
Accessibility
Accessibility modes
Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Hide Emoji
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
April 13, 2026
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
