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…
Read all the race reports from the weekend here…
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. Check out all the action from Sachsenring…
Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia has come tantalisingly close to the 1:19s as he broke the All Time Lap Record in MotoGP™ FP2 at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Italian fired in a 1:20.018 to establish a new benchmark around the Sachsenring as Ducati locked out the top three in the afternoon and overall. Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Luca Marini grabbed second and FP1 pace-setter Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) took third, with Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro the best of the rest.
FP1
The twisty layout of the Sachsenring might not traditionally have suited the Bologna bullets, but it seems times they are a-changing as Ducati Lenovo Team had already gone one-two in FP1. Miller led the way with a 1:21.479, ahead of Bagnaia by just over a tenth.
World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo, who had the new-spec swingarm on his YZR-M1, was not far away either. The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ rider finished the session third-fastest courtesy of a 1:21.557 which he set just after Miller’s fastest lap. Very few went for time attacks at the end of proceedings but Quartararo continued to lap in the 1:22s despite using just the one set of tyres. Fourth went to Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) on a 1:21.655 and fifth to Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) on a 1:21.660, an encouraging start to the weekend for the Japanese rider after his crash at Catalunya a fortnight ago.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) was a solid sixth in FP1, and sampling the Noale factory’s new fairing, he clocked a 1:21.665 and managed to keep himself upright despite an excursion through the gravel at Turn 1. Marini started seventh on a 1:21.671 while Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) picked himself up from a crash at Turn 1 to claim eighth with a 1:21.730 which he set near the end of the session on new tyres.
The top 10 was rounded out by Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) on a 1:21.735 and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) on a 1:21.772, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) just 0.041 seconds slower again in 11th. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) crashed twice in FP1, rider ok but a little battered and bruised after a highside,and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) also took a tumble. Rins didn’t complete the whole session as he nurses his wrist injured in Barcelona.
FP2
Aleix Espargaro took over on top with a 1:20.789 on his first run, with Bagnaia just 0.054 seconds slower. But Miller was one of the earliest to switch to genuine time attack mode in the closing stages of FP2 and, armed with new softs on the front and rear, he vaulted back to the top with a 1:20.211. Aleix Espargaro twice came close to bettering the Australian again with a 1:20.284 and a 1:20.219 on consecutive laps, but it fell to the man on the other red Ducati to get the job done.
Bagnaia broke Marc Marquez’s three-year-old All Time Lap Record of 1:20.195 when he laid down a 1:20.132 on a medium-soft tyre combination in the final three minutes of the session, and there was time enough to go even faster again before the chequered flag unfurled. Marini likewise beat Marquez’s old Sachsenring benchmark, shuffling Miller back to third, albeit only at 0.193 seconds off the pace of his team-mate… and that makes it a Ducati top three heading into Saturday.
Sachsenring Friday Top 3 (Full Results Here)
1 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – 1’20.018
2 Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Ducati – +0.115
3 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +0.193
Saturday
Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia carried his superb Free Practice form into qualifying for the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland as he secured pole position with a new pole lap record. The Italian was the only rider who could get into the 1:19s in Q2 at the Sachsenring – a 1:19.931, specifically – although the front row was still covered by less than a tenth, and the very same Bagnaia remains the outright lap record holder from earlier in the day in FP3. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™’s Fabio Quartararo gave himself a good chance of extending his World Championship with second on the grid, however, and he has 2021 polesitter Johann Zarco alongside him as Prima Pramac Racing rider took third.
There are three different factories in the top four too, with Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro heading Row 2, but seven of the Bologna bullets made it into the second part of qualifying and six of those lock out the top eight. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) topped Q1 before claiming fifth in Q2, ahead of Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
In Q2, Bagnaia made a statement with a 1:20.098 on his first flying lap, immediately before an off-track excursion at Turn 1, and that was still the best time once the opening runs were done. By then, teammate Miller had closed to 0.056 behind though, ahead of Martin on a 1:20.277 and Aleix Espargaro on a 1:20.379.
Pecco was quickly back into the pits for another new soft Michelin rear slick and was the first to go for his second run. He tightened his grip on provisional pole with a 1:20.064 and put more space between himself and the field when he backed that up with the aforementioned 1:19.931. No one would beat that time but, with the temperature pushing into the thirties at the Sachsenring, second position was, appropriately, also hotly contested. Aleix Espargaro clocked a 1:20.120 and then Quartararo a 1:20.093, before Zarco pipped both with a 1:20.030.
However, Quartararo does not lead the World Championship without digging deep, and ‘El Diablo’ had just that little bit more pace left as he put in a 1:20.007 just before the chequered flag. Bagnaia then tried to go for a third run, and while he ran out of time to start a lap again, it mattered not as pole position was secured.
Di Giannantonio may have fallen into Q1 but he cleared that hurdle and the Italian rookie was as high as third-quickest before settling in fifth on the grid on a 1:20.128. As it stands, he will start between Aleix Espargaro and Miller, the latter of whom was sixth on a 1:20.150. Miller, however, also has a Long Lap penalty to take on Sunday after crashing under a yellow flag following a crash for Aleix Espargaro in FP4.
Seventh on the grid is Marini and eighth is Martin. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) also made Row 3 while 10th went to Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), who crashed late at Turn 1. Q1 graduate Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) took 11th all-told, joined by Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on Row 4.
Pol Espargaro was an agonising 0.004 seconds away from moving through thanks to his late flying lap in Q1, and the Repsol Honda rider will therefore start at the head of Row 5 of the grid. He will be joined there by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder, with Row 6 comprised of Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), and home hero replacement rider Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda).
Rounding out a slightly reduced, 23-rider field are Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team), Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing), Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing), and Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team). Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) withdrew from the event due to pain from his wrist fractured in Barcelona.
MotoGP Sachsenring Front Row (Full Results Here)
1 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – 1’19.931
2 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Yamaha – +0.076
3 Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) – Ducati – +0.099
Sunday
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).
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.
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.
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) 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.
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!”
MotoGP Sachsenring Podium (Full Results Here)
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
Moto2
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!
Moto2 Sachsenring Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – 39’44.019
2 Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – +7.704
3 Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) – Kalex – +7.844
Moto3
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 Sachsenring Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Izan Guevara (GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – 39’14.946
2 Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) – Honda – +4.893
3 Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – +4.964
It’s race weekend in Darwin after a long break from ASBK action. Only the Superbikes join the Supercars for this round but there are three action packed races, one on Saturday and two on Sunday, plus two practice sessions Friday and Q1 and Q2 Saturday… Photos: BiteSize Pics.
Thursday saw the riders and team members meet and greet local fans at the Darwin Waterfront, where they signed autographs and were interviewed about the weekend ahead. They then headed trackside for some shots. By all accounts it’s looking like a top weekend in the Top End. Stay tuned!
The format for the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown sees the Alpinestars Superbikes race three times over two days- a change to the usual two races on the Sunday. MA say that while this does not offer any particular rider an advantage, it does advantage teams that are fast on out-of-the-gate Friday morning as there is effectively one day less until race day. See more here…
Check out our track guide, corner by corner of Hidden Valley by Andrew Pitt
Live Broadcast Information:
Fox Sports Australia
Friday – Free Practice 2 and Free Practice 3
Saturday – Qualifying 1 & Qualifying 2, plus Race 1
Sunday – Race 2 (Exclusively Live on Fox) & Race 3
Channel 7
Saturday – Race 1
Sunday – Race 3
SBS
Sunday 3rd July 1pm- The ASBK Darwin Show
The WorldSBK Championship concluded its action at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed two wins for the weekend, further extending his championship lead over Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Press Release: WorldSBK.
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s Race 1 at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” was won by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as he claimed a hard-fought victory during the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round to extend his Championship lead. Bautista started from pole position but dropped back before battling back to claim victory as he set a race lap record in the closing stages of the race.
Bautista initially lost out at the start but was able to battle back, first to take second place from Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) on Lap 4 before making his move on Rea at the high-speed Curvone corner on Lap 13 to move into the lead of the race and from there did not look back as he claimed victory for Ducati on home soil. In the first two-thirds of the race, it was a three-way battle between Bautista, Rea and Razgatlioglu, as has been customary throughout the 2022 season. However, at the end of Lap 14, Razgatlioglu suffered a technical issue on his machine and retired from the race.
Bautista’s victory, by 5.128s after the 21 laps were completed, gave him his 21st win in WorldSBK which puts him level with Max Biaggi on the all-time list. Rea’s second place gave him his 224th podium and ninth this year as well as Kawasaki’s 498th in WorldSBK; just two shy of the amazing landmark 500 podiums.
Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) started Race 1 from tenth place but soon found himself inside the top five after an incredible start by the Italian rider, looking to challenge the lead trio at the time for a podium place. He eventually dropped back and had to battle with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) for what would turn out to be a podium position, but Rinaldi was able to make the move for his first podium of the 2022 season and the 11th of his career. Like Kawasaki, Ducati are on the verge of a podium milestone and sit just five away from 1,000 podium placements in WorldSBK. Bassani finished in fourth place as he took his best result of the 2022 season. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) secured fifth place after he battled his way back into a top five finish, finishing ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) who completed the top six with Locatelli just 1.4s back from Lowes.
Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) claimed seventh spot as he withstood the challenge from Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team); the American, once again, putting on a late-race charge to claim eighth spot. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) lost ground at the start of the race but was able to fight his way back to a top ten finish as he claimed ninth spot with Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounding out the top ten.
Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) claimed his joint-best WorldSBK report with 11th place finishing ahead of Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Nozane got a good start and fought his way into the top ten but dropped back as the race progressed before dropping back to 12th. Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) claimed 13th spot after passing teammate Loris Baz in the closing stages, while Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) also passed Baz to finish 14th; Baz claiming 15th.
Replacement rider Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) narrowly missed out on points, finishing less than a second behind Baz, on his comeback to the Championship with 16th place ahead of Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team), Illia Mykhalchyk (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Leonardo Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) and Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura).
Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) was the first retirement from the race after he had a Lap 3 crash at Turn 4, forcing the Frenchman out of the race. Ponsson was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and declared unfit with a right collar bone fracture and cervical strain. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) had a crash at Turn 8 on Lap 5 and, while the German was able to re-join the race, he retired a short time later. Italian rider Alessandro Delbianco (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) did not compete in the race. Wildcard Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing) was also a retirement from the race after a crash. The Italian did re-join the race but retired from the race following the incident.
WorldSBK Misano Race One Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +5.128s
3 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +8.289s
Tissot Superpole Race
Razgatlioglu got the holeshot on the opening lap of the race and from there did not look back as he claimed his first race win of the season and secure a front row start for Race 2. He was able to take advantage of an early race scrap between Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) scrapping to open up a gap and was unchallenged throughout the race. Bautista came home in second place ahead of Rea, with the top three in the Championship making up the front row for Race 2.
It meant Razgatlioglu claimed his 19th career win and his 62nd podium, while Bautista now has 38 podiums to his name and 11 consecutive podiums from the start of the season. Rea now has 225 podiums to his name while his third place means Kawasaki now have 499 podiums, just one away from a milestone 500.
Both Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and teammate Iker Lecuona used Pirelli’s new-for-2022 SCQ tyre to full advantage in the Superpole Race as they fought their way up the field. Vierge finished in fourth after looking like he was going to challenge Rea for a podium, although fourth is his best result in WorldSBK, with Lecuona in fifth place. They will be joined on the second row by Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), with the Italian claiming his second sixth-place finish of the round.
Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) was able to battle his way up to seventh place to lead away the third row in Race 2, ahead of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who lost ground at the start and was unable to fight his way back up the order. Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) will start Race 2 from ninth place, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), a podium finisher in Race 1, finishing outside of the top nine after losing ground during the 10-lap race.
Tissot Superpole Race Misano Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 1’33.770s
2 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.087s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +4.975s
Race Two
Bautista found himself behind Razgatlioglu from the opening lap and looked to make a move on several occasions, first on Lap 4 through Curvone before Razgatlioglu responded into Turn 14 before the same result a couple of laps later. On Lap 7, Bautista did make his move at Curvone and Razgatlioglu was unable to respond, allowing Bautista to clear on for his second win of the weekend and the 22nd victory of his career, putting him level with Marco Melandri. Razgatlioglu’s second place meant he claimed the 63rd podium in his WorldSBK career. The results mean Bautista has a 36-point in the Championship standings after four rounds in 2022.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) battled his way up from 10th on the grid to claim a second podium of the weekend, and the season, after making a move on Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) on the third lap of the race. Rinaldi now has 12 podiums to his name, including five on home soil, putting him level with Gregorio Lavilla and Chris Walker. After Rinaldi’s move, Rea lost ground to the Italian but also kept a clear margin to the riders behind him to finish in fourth place, the first time this season Rea has finished a race outside the podium places.
Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) claimed fifth place to claim his sixth top-five finish in the first 12 races of the season, although he had to fend off a late charge from Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing). Bassani once again got a good start to fight in the top group but dropped back before stabilising his pace at around the halfway mark of the race. After losing out at the start of the race, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) battled his way to sixth place for the third sixth-place finish of the round for the Italian, making a late move on Bassani at the end of the race.
Bassani came home in seventh place despite losing out after making his superb start, benefitting from Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) being given a Long Lap Penalty for track limits infringements in the race. Lowes had got ahead of both Locatelli and Bassani, but, after taking his penalty, finished in eighth place.
Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had a rollercoaster race as he finished in ninth place, despite dropping down in the early stages of the race, to record a top-ten finish. He finished ahead of the lead BMW rider with Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) rounding out the top ten, 11 seconds behind Redding at the end of the 21-lap race.
Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) and Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) had a late-race fight for 11th place with the German rider just edging out Tamburini by less than a second. It was another comeback for Sammarinese rider Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) as he finished in 13th place after starting from 20th. BMW duo Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) and Illia Mykhalchyk (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounded out the points with 14th and 15th.
Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished in 16th place after spending much of the race in the points, before being overhauled late on. Substitute rider Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in 17th place ahead of Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) and Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in 18th and 19th respectively; the final two riders classified in the race.
The first retirement from the race was American rider Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) when he crashed at Turn 16 on Lap 3, while wildcard Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing) was out of the race on Lap 4 with a technical issue. Italian rider Alessandro Delbianco (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) brought his bike into the pits with a technical issue, while Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team) also retired with a technical issue on Lap 8 at Turn 10.
After a strong start to the race, Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) had a crash at Turn 11 on Lap 12 which ended his race; the Spanish rookie was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. Following examination, Vierge was diagnosed with a fracture of the base of his third metacarpal bone in his right hand and fractures of the capitate and hamate bones in his right wrist. An incident between Vierge and Bassani will be investigated after the race by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards.
WorldSBK Misano Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +7.194s
3 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +11.119s
WorldSBK Championship Standings After Misano (Full Standings Here)
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 220 points.
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 184
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 141
The Darwin round marks a month since ASBK convened at Wakefield Park and those who thought we would come away from Goulburn’s finest circuit with a clearer view of who would take the Championship by the scruff of the neck would be even more confused and uncertain. Press Release: MA.
Sure, Mike Jones showed he was the man to beat, and the Yamaha factory was certainly well sorted for the 2.2km layout. But after Wayne Maxwell’s team made an uncharacteristic error early in the proceedings, the gift was the pole position and the psychological advantage. For the leading duo, Wakefield indicated to those assembled that perhaps we have our 2022 champion pair and it’s now down to the remaining races to decide which one of them takes the trophy.
Grab your tickets for the weekend here…
For Bryan Staring, the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown is a real “line in the sand” moment. After scoring 45 points at round one, the West Australian has been on a slight downward slide, and the bike and rider seemed incredibly out of sorts at Wakefield as he scored just 32 points. If he wants to stay in the Championship hunt, then a solid points haul is necessary. Confidence ought to be high after the DesmoSport Ducati took a win here last year with Oli Bayliss aboard.
The Maxima Oils Racing duo of Josh Waters and Glenn Allerton might perhaps have the words of Wayne Maxwell ringing in their ears when he stated at the post round three press conference that they appeared to be “not making forward progress”. The BMW seems to have all they need to be front runners- power, handling a solid and electronics package, but an interrupted program for Allerton and Waters’ relative unfamiliarity has indeed slowed their progression. Darwin offers a chance to bring the BMW M1000RR to the pointiest end of the field.
For a guy who is currently fifth in the Championship, Cru Halliday has flown under the radar thanks to the success of teammate Mike Jones and Halliday’s own struggles. A solid result at Wakefield – where he scored more points in race one than he did in total at Round Two in Queensland, has put the likeable larrikin back into contention for the top three.
Troy Herfoss is the great unknown. His past results indicate that he certainly does well at Hidden Valley, and his growing fitness and pace shows that he could certainly be a contender. With Paul Free back in his corner and his indefatigable self-belief, eyes will be on the Honda Fireblade in the early sessions. Suffice to say, there’s a few demons that he will need to banish before he can really get down to business.
The format for the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown sees the Alpinestars Superbikes race three times over two days- a change to the usual two races on the Sunday. While this does not offer any particular rider an advantage, it does advantage teams that are fast on out-of-the-gate Friday morning as there is effectively one day less until race day.
Live Broadcast Information:
Fox Sports Australia
Channel 7
SBS
This is the final part of Stuart’s interviews with Alex and Chris Pickett. Alex went it alone for the TT and scored a ride in the Classic TT. Here’s how it went down. 2016 proved to be possibly the most challenging and the most rewarding year in Alex’s TT journey. A couple of big lows and one pretty big high.
Alex: “After the 2015 debacle I didn’t know what I wanted to do really. I had some unfinished business, but seeing I didn’t finish one race in 2015, there were hardly any teams beating my door down. I wasn’t happy at work though, so when some friends offered me a place to live in the UK I quit my job and headed over in 2015 with a plan to do the TT in 2016. I was living in rural Shropshire but had no money, and despite my trade qualifications could only get a job in a nursery for about $15 an hour. At least I was getting fit though, riding my pushbike to work, running, training and eating well.”
Check out volume two of Between The Hedges here…
Chris: “I think Alex wanted a change of scenery and wanted to prove what he was capable of. We knew he wanted to do the TT again but at that stage didn’t have the means to do so, and neither did we. He was training hard, lost a heap of weight and looked fit. He had a block of land here which he wanted to sell, and he planned to stay in the UK long term. He had a five-year visa which could be turned into permanent residency due to family ties in the UK.”
Alex: “I got my patents to sell everything I had, including my 1970 Dodge Dart, something I wished I hadn’t sold now, this allowed me some financial breathing space and the purchase of a competitive bike. That bike turned out to be the Kawasaki ZX6R ASBK Supersport machine of Luke Burgess. Kawasaki’s Glen Willing had built the engine and it had lots of goodies, including Mupo suspension. We got it at a good price, and dad shipped it over to the UK for me.”
Check out the first volume of Between The Hedges here if you missed it…
Chris: “It didn’t need any race preparation, other than extra lock wiring required for the TT rules, and increasing the fuel tank capacity. I’d read somewhere that you could blow the tank a bit with compressed air and cut out the inside of the filler next so fuel could go all the way to the top. Brad Woodhouse from B & C Motorcycles in Newcastle and I tried that with the tank off the bike. It blew out alright but wouldn’t fit back on the bike. A bit of judicious panel work here and there got the tank bolted back on to the bike, and we tried again. Doing this we got the capacity from 17 to 21 litres.”
“I crated the bike up, with riding gear, spares and a pushbike and off she went to the UK. A couple of months later I got a distraught phone call from Alex saying they wouldn’t release the bike to him. I had applied for the bike to be used as a race bike in the UK but that it would be shipped back to Australia afterwards. In other words I wasn’t trying to import the bike into the UK permanently. I’m not sure what went wrong or if we got stiffed somehow but I ended up paying another three or four grand just for them to release the bike to Alex. My credit card was smoking.”
Alex at last had a bike he could practice on in readiness for the 2016 TT
Alex: “I only had to do a couple of minor things to the bike, like a tail light, and a brake guard, things needed to pass scrutineering in the UK. I then did some No Limits racing which was good fun, and something I needed to get my races up for a TT Mountain Course Licence. No Limits in the UK is like St George club racing in Australia but it’s amazing how much money is there. I turned up with a half worn out Transit van, a caravan with an awning, thinking I’d be IT, but there were semi trailer’s with transporters by the dozen so I was just a wannabe in the paddock.”
“I did alright though and gelled pretty quickly with the ZX6R. I also got to race a CFMoto Supertwin in Northern Ireland on one of the street circuits, which was a big eye opener. I did pretty well there too, dodging hedges, cow pats and other bikes. My girlfriend, now wife, Tayla had come over and we stayed with friends in Northern Ireland, toured around the place and even went to Joey’s Bar in Balleymoney. Now that was cool.”
Chris: “Before we knew it my wife and I were on the plane to the Isle of Man. Alex had a good privateer set up, helped by our friends he’d been living in the UK with. Gaz and Jenny Cranage treated Alex like a son and their organisation really helped him prepare. Our Scottish mate Rob Wilson came over to help with the mechanics and we even had a suspension guy helping. All for free. It was great.”
Alex: “Practice week went awesome. It was the driest TT in years and I had no issues doing my six laps for qualifying. In fact, I think I did about 10 and we decided to sit out the last nights practise session to help save the engine as we didn’t have a spare. Handling was pretty good on the bike and everything was going well. There was a bit of a clash of personalities in the team at times, but it was a bit of a pressure cooker environment.”
Chris: “There were probably too many cooks in the kitchen in the team but we all worked it out with minimum fuss really. By the time the first Supersport race came up everything seemed okay, but in hindsight I think Alex was trying to keep too many people happy, with a number of people wanting his time. His start number was 66 but he qualified in the high 30s on the start line from memory. The four laps went without any major incident and he finished 31st with an overall race speed, including pit stop, of 115.277mph.”
Alex: “Even though I was happy with the handling of the bike during practice week, in the race I wasn’t that comfortable with it. I can’t tell you what went wrong, the settings were the same, but even my mate Dominic Herbertson said the bike was all over the place when he went past me. I had qualified in front of him and I was holding him up on the road, which normally would not have been the case, all things being equal.”
But things were about to get a whole lot worse on a personal level for a number of people including Alex
Alex: “I had become quite friendly with Dwight Beare from Melbourne. Dwight was a sidecar racer and had moved to the IOM to chase his dream of TT glory. We hit it off, he was great fun to go out with and was just a real nice bloke. He was killed in the first Sidecar TT in 2016 and it shook me to my core really. It all went to shit in about a two hour window. Dad and I were talking to Paul Shoesmith, my team boss from the year before, just as he was about to head out for a practice lap. He’d just done the Superbike TT and wanted to sort out his Superstock bike in a special one lap practice session they were running after the Sidecar TT. We didn’t know at that stage that Dwight had passed away as no information had been released. Within 20 minutes later, Paul was dead too. He had a similar issue with a blown out front tyre, like I had the year before, and only about 500 metres before my incident. Unfortunately, he didn’t survive it. So, I lost two good friends within a couple of hours of each other.”
Chris: “That really hit Alex hard. He was ready to pack it in and go home. It was his decision of course, no one can make you do it. In the end he decided to continue but you could see he wasn’t the same. He lined up for the second Supersport race but came in after the first lap, complaining of very poor handling and deciding to pull the pin. I will always believe his heart wasn’t in it that day. His mind was elsewhere and it was dangerous for him to continue. He did the right thing by retiring from that race.”
Alex: “I can’t really tell you what went wrong in the second race. The bike felt terrible but nothing had really changed. I actually asked myself during that one lap, ‘what am I doing here?’. I didn’t want to be out there so I pulled in.”
Alex: “I thought long and hard about actually doing the Classic TT but decided to. I spent some time staying with friends on the IOM and helped get the bike ready. Mum and Dad weren’t going to come over to the Classic TT seeing they had spent a month in the UK a few months earlier. At the last minute though, dad jumped on a plane and flew over which was a great relief for me. He had only missed a handful of my races ever since I started so it was very important for me, for him to be there.”
Chris: “My wife didn’t want me to go, we’d already spent a bomb earlier in the year but how could I not go. My credit card was smoking again but I was going and that was that. You (Stuart) were coming over as well, but your funds dried up with a speeding ticket, didn’t they! My wife understood. There was less stress on me with the Classic TT because I wasn’t working on the bike, just enjoying the sunshine and the atmosphere. Of course, I was stressed whenever Alex was on the bike.”
Alex: “Practice week went great, the bike felt great, and I was in the top 10 every time I went out. We had a small issue with the standard hydraulic cam chain tensioner which threatened to derail us but John Taubman built a fantastic engine and had it sorted. I was given number 41 which was a bit off a slap in the face I thought. There were most of the top TT runners at the Classic TT, riding all sorts of machines. Michael Dunlop was on a Suzuki XR69 ‘Replica’ with a GSX-R1100/Bandit 1200 engine. Dean Harrison and Horst Saiger were on ZXR750s like me, but the lineup of bikes was pretty special, and so were the riders.”
Chris: “There were plenty of slower riders in front of Alex on the start line, which we knew would prove to be a problem for him as they would no doubt hold him up. One of the riders who qualified behind Alex got permission to start further up the field, as he should of, but when the team asked the same for Alex they were denied. So, in effect you had about 25 riders slower than Alex who were allowed to start in front of him. Everyone was pissed off but that’s life I guess.”
Alex: “There were a few classes in the Classic Superbike TT. I was in P2 which meant I was a privateer racing a 750cc production-based machine. I was the fastest qualifier in the class but I was also faster than plenty of other bigger capacity bikes. I started 41st on the road, as per my number, and I blasted through lots of bikes in front of me. Some would hold me up, some not so much, but when I came into the pits for fuel I was sitting in around 15th spot. The bike was running great but as always, the gears were sometimes hard to select. On the last lap I just went for it, basically throwing caution to the wind, even through Ballegary corner where I held it flat in top and the bike threatened to throw me into the scenery but I stayed on. I knew I would have finished in a good spot but when I rode up the slip road after I finished, Paul Phillips, the boss of the TT, guided me into the winners enclosure with a big smile on his face. Paul was always very good to me and my dad and it was nice to see him happy with my result. It was a good result for him seeing he had paid the team for my ride. I later learned that Mick Charnock from TC Racing had told Paul I would win the P2 class when they were negotiating the deal. Well, I did and everyone was happy.”
Chris: “It was a bit of an anti-climax to be honest. It had been a hard slog along the way. Alex finished 11th outright but first in his class. After the race there were some rumblings about illegal bikes. Four bikes were found to be oversize and were excluded from the results. They were all big name riders too. This pushed Alex up to 7th outright in the standings but it never altered his first in class result. To see him up on the podium with TT greats was very special. I later bought the Classic TT DVD which never once showed Alex or even mentioned him. Typically, the film makers concentrate on the top four or five riders. They even deleted the podium shot because two of the four riders on the podium were disqualified. That really pissed me off.”
Alex: “I decided that would be me and the TT done and dusted after the Classic TT. It had dominated much of my life for five years but I knew the realities of the danger. It holds a special place in my heart, as do the Bronze and Silver trophies but life moves on. I would love one day to take my two boys over to the TT to show them what their dad used to do. I’d love to go back and help someone as a mechanic but I can never see myself riding the TT again. Not enough money and too many responsibilities. You never say never”
Words: Stuart Woodberry
The fight is on again this weekend as the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s fourth round promises to be an explosive one, with the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” readying for action.
Ahead of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, the press caught up with all of the stars from up and down the grid, as they preview their weekend ahead and lay down the gauntlet, with all eyes on more battles from the titanic trio, as well as on a Honda rider who came back from testing for the Suzuka 8 Hour.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I think there’ll be more riders fighting for the victory If I can have fun on the bike, I can be competitive. It will be nice if I can win all three races for the fans so just trying to enjoy it together. It’s a track that’s very short, so we saw in the past fighting in the races. Here, my teammate Rinaldi won two races here last year. He was second in Race 2 so he will be competitive. I don’t think this round will only be three riders fighting for the victory, we are also talking about Michael to fight for the victory. It’s a track that’s very technical and the differences are very small compared to other tracks. I think there will be more riders fighting for victory and for the podium; it’ll be more exciting for everybody watching the races.”
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “I expect a lot more to join the party at Misano. Last year, our biggest nemesis was the SCX tyre. We could only really work that tyre in the real hot conditions. Estoril was mid-20s, we would be scared of that last year. Race 2 showed us that we could be convinced that we can use that tyre now. All our work in the offseason has paid off. I feel like at the end of the race, we had the better tyre and was able to go forward and catch Alvaro and spring a pass on the last lap. That gives us some confidence that these summer races can be even better. I’m just enjoying racing, enjoying riding the bike and the battle right now at the front with Toprak and Alvaro, two very different characters on the track, is really fun but I expect a lot more to join that party at Misano.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK): “A very positive test… we need luck! After Estoril, we had a one-day test and we tried many new parts, especially with rear grip. At Estoril, my big problem was spinning on the exit of the final corner. It was a very positive test, and we improved the rear grip. Last year, I won for the first time at Misano and after Estoril, I feel like we are fighting for the win again. I like the track and I love Italy! Sometimes we need luck, especially in Race 1 at Estoril when Bautista passed me easily on the straight, and then in the Superpole Race, I almost won but I made a very small mistake, although maybe it’s not small as I nearly crashed! I’m smiling after the race weekend but this round, we’re fighting to win again as I’ve been training a lot in Turkey and the team have been working hard. Last year, Rinaldi was very fast at this track so maybe he will come strong again this year. I just focus on my job and try to enjoy it.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “We had to sacrifice the result for the future. I feel super happy to be here and to race at home, a track that I like. It’s a track where my friends and fans can come, and this is great! I think I can be in the battle and I will try to win, and I will push my 120%. After Assen, we changed our way of working and we knew at Estoril that we wouldn’t have the result. Last year, we were really, really strong or really, really bad, never constant. We started this year at Aragon when I was fast with the top guys but then I went back, and it was the same at Assen. Like this, maybe I would win some races but not be there in all of them, so I needed to find something different. The team agreed so at Estoril, we were in a phase where we had to sacrifice the result for the future. We are still working but I think Misano can help us to get to the top set up. I’m working hard with the team and I hope the work pays off.”
Iker Lecuona (Team HRC): “Very happy with this season so far… test at Suzuka was amazing! I’m very happy with this season so far. This track I know very well. I like it, it’s not my best track but normally I go quite fast. It’s my first time here with Honda and the Superbike so I know that normally, in the first part of the weekend we struggle a lot, so we need to work but we can be there. The test at Suzuka was an amazing experience. It’s a very beautiful track, a difficult and fun track. It’s true the bike is not very different, but some parts are different like tyres for example. I need to learn a lot quickly to feel fine on the bike, but this helped us to get the feeling with the bike. For me, it’s nice if we go to the eight-hour race, but it’s still not confirmed.”
Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha): “The past is no indicator of what the future holds. I’m happy to be here and happy that the doctor said I was good to go. I would say I’m 100% for the most part, it hurts a little bit but I can bend my knee. My approach is to take it one thing at a time; on Friday morning, it might be raining a little bit so that might be a nice way to ease my way into things. We tested here earlier this year so I have a good idea about where we’ll start with everything, so hopefully we can have the same feeling right away. I felt like my pace was good here last year and my times were competitive. The past is no indicator of what the future holds; everyone is going fast this year so it will be a matter of trying to stay close to the top. I think we’re going in the right way.”
After five seasons together, three with the Pramac Racing Team and the last two as an official rider of the Ducati Lenovo Team, Jack Miller and Ducati will part ways at the end of 2022. Jack will be off to the KTM factory team for the 2023 and 2024 MotoGP seasons..
From 2018 to date, Jack has achieved 16 podiums with the Desmosedici GP, including two thrilling wins with the factory team in the Spanish GP at Jerez and the French GP at Le Mans in 2021. It is also thanks to Jack’s results that Ducati won the Constructors’ World Championship in 2020 and 2021 and the title of Best Team in MotoGP last season with the Ducati Lenovo Team.
Miller and Ducati, as always, will work hard to obtain the best results for the Ducati Lenovo Team in all the remaining Grands Prix of the 2022 MotoGP Championship, starting with the German GP that will be held in ten days at the Sachsenring.
Luigi Dall’Igna (General Manager of Ducati Corse)
“Together with Jack, we have spent five wonderful seasons, during which we have achieved truly significant goals for us, such as the two Constructors’ World Titles obtained in 2020 and 2021 and last year’s Best Team Title. In addition, we should not forget the numerous podiums and the two stunning victories at Jerez and Le Mans. Miller is a very talented rider who has been able to understand our Desmosedici GP at its best. He is a fair and loyal person on whose full commitment we have always been able to count. I would therefore like to thank him on behalf of Ducati, the Ducati Lenovo Team, and all our partners for these five years spent together and wish him all the best for his near future!”
Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team)
“It’s been a really important five years for me: together with Ducati, I’ve achieved several podiums, including two wins that I’ll never forget. In addition to the two Constructors’ World Titles and the Team Title, last year, I finished fourth in the Championship, and that was my best result ever in MotoGP. Together with the Pramac Racing Team and the Ducati Lenovo Team, I have grown a lot as a rider and year after year, I have always felt like the best version of myself. Next year I will take on a new challenge, but right now, I want to think only about finishing this last season with my team in the best possible way. I thank all of Ducati Corse, my team, Gigi, Paolo, Davide, and the people who have worked with me over these five seasons”.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have confirmed Jack Miller will line-up alongside Brad Binder for 2023 and 2024 in MotoGP after announcing the Australian has signed a two-year deal. Miller turned 27 in January but already has more than a decade of Grand Prix experience, including nine victories and almost 30 podiums in both Moto3 and MotoGP.
2014 was the most prolific term of his career so far as a powerful union with Aki Ajo’s Red Bull KTM Ajo squad saw him score six wins and only just miss out on the Moto3 title. He made a high-profile move straight into the MotoGP category for 2015. Miller will link up again with Francesco Guidotti, having worked with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s current Team Manager for three of his eight years in MotoGP.
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“Having Jack alongside Brad in our team means we have another strong asset. I know him well, I know how he likes to work and what he can bring to the box. I believe his character and the way he will ride and push our KTM RC16 will help us a lot at this stage of our project. Like Brad, Jack is a pure racer: he will find the limits and the maximum of any condition and any package and still ‘go for it’ to get the result and that is quite a rare quality. The next two seasons will be exciting!”
Pit Beirer, Director KTM Motorsports
“Of course we’ve known Jack since he made a boom with Aki and our Moto3 program and it’s a big pleasure to bring a rider of his capabilities into our MotoGP structure. He left us with a positive impression, and we’ve stayed in contact. Jack’s approach and attitude to racing are very similar to ours. I am very proud that he comes back to Red Bull KTM again and he will be a great addition to our mission.”
The Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya truly was a monster weekend for Championship leader Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman put to bed any flashbacks of late heartbreak in 2021 to pull clear and throw down the gauntlet at the front, taking his second MotoGP win at the venue.
Aprilia Racing dominated the opening day at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, with Aleix Espargaro clinched top spot ahead of teammate Maverick Viñales. The pair were split by three tenths after sharing the lead of the timesheets throughout FP2, with Gresini Racing’s Enea Bastianini the Noale factory’s closest challenger in third.
FP1
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was fastest in FP1, putting in a 1:40.101 in the final few minutes of the opening session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and backing that up with a 1:40.185 as he greeted the chequered flag. Like Rins, Viñales finished the session on new medium compound Michelin tyres, front and rear, and consolidated second on the timing screen with a 1:40.296 on his final lap to sit second.
Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) had been the early pace-setter as the Italian showed strong form, and the 1:40.695 set on his first run put him third when the music stopped. Aleix Espargaro, who has now finished third for the last four MotoGP™ races in a row, took fourth with Repsol Honda’s Pol Espargaro making it for different manufacturers in the top five, heading a Honda trio continued by Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol).
World Championship leader and newly re-signed Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ rider Fabio Quartararo was back in P14 and right behind him was the man who reignited his title bid with victory a week ago at Mugello: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The only crasher was Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), rider ok.
FP2
Noale fought back in the afternoon, with Espargaro taking over at the top with 20 minutes remaining to displace Rins. With seven minutes left we saw the first rider stick some soft rubber in, with Viñales deciding it was the moment for a time attack. The Spaniard put it to good use to steal top spot from his teammate, and Top Gun then found another two tenths on his next lap, posting a 1:39.705. The Ducati trio of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Bastianini and Martin all had a go at trying to better Viñales but all three failed in their quests.
Then, with the chequered flag out, Aleix Espargaro snatched the honour of Friday’s fastest with a blistering 1:39.402 – just half a second shy of Fabio Quartararo’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) outright lap record from 12 months ago. That made it a 1-2 for the Aprilia teammates to start the weekend, as both Espargaro and Viñales look to repeat their Catalan heroics after taking 1-2 on the grid whilst riding for Suzuki at the 2015 Catalan Grand Prix.
MotoGP Catalunya Friday Top 3 (Full Results Here)
1 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – 1’39.402
2 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +0.303
3 Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) – Ducati – +0.488
Saturday
Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro reset his own All Time Lap Record to claim pole position for the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, coming out on top in a three-way fight for pole in MotoGP™ Q2 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Aprilia rider’s 1:38.742 saw him prevail by just 0.031 seconds over Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia, with World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) also set to start from the front row on Sunday afternoon after ending Q2 less than two tenths further back.
Q1
Q1 saw Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) prevail, with the fight going right to the wire and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) snatching second, and the final spot in Q2, from rookie sensation and Mugello front row starter Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team). From there, it was on to Q2 with both Aprilias…
Q2
It was tight at the end of the first runs, with Quartararo top on a 1:39.055, Bagnaia second at just a hundredth of a second off the pace, and Aleix Espargaro only two thousandths slower again in third. While track temperature was approaching 60 degrees Celsius, the pace was just as hot when riders came back out for their second runs. Bagnaia raised the stakes when he punched out a 1:38.787, only 0.016 seconds away from the lap record which Aleix Espargaro had achieved in FP3, before taking an excursion through the run-off area at Turn 1. The Aprilia rider then snatched provisional pole back with that 1:38.742, while Quartararo consolidated third spot with a 1:38.959.
Aleix Espargaro was still pushing on his final lap when he outbraked himself at Turn 10, and Bagnaia was also continuing to chase time. This was it as the Ducati rider continued to find the pace to challenge, but it wasn’t quite enough as he crossed the line and was forced to settle for second. Quartararo, meanwhile, secured third but two tenths off the top.
MotoGP Catalunya Front Row (Full Results Here)
1 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia- 1’38.742
2 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +0.031
3 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Yamaha – +0.217
Sunday
An incident into Turn 1 first saw Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) suffer contact from Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) after a crash for the Japanese rider, all ultimately unable to continue in the race, and then another contender was out as Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) crashed out alone mid-race. Finally, there was a heart-breaking blunder for Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing). The number 41 was in second place when celebrated a lap too early – leaving him pushing to keep a place in the top five.
At lights out, Quartararo nabbed the holeshot and avoided the chaos to hit the front, quickly stretching out a lead. By the end of the opening lap, he was nearly a second clear of the rest, keeping that margin ahead of Aleix Espargaro. Martin then complicated life more for the Aprilia rider as he sliced past into second, and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was next on the chase. Just behind them, a fast-starting Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was already up to fifth and, once past, trying to shake off Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team).
As Quartararo pounded on, the focus shifted to the fight for second. With 15 to go, Aleix Espargaro struck and the number 41 pitched it perfectly at Turn 1 to move through, with Zarco, in turn, making a gain on Martin too. Quartararo was three seconds clear of the Aprilia, the Pramac duo were locked together, Mir was still holding off Marini and Viñales was up in seventh.
By this time, Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) had slid out, and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) too. In between the two there was the second seismic shift in the title fight as Bastianini crashed out from P7. That meant two of the top four going in were now down and out, as Quartararo continued on at the front.
As ‘El Diablo’ continued to count down the laps, the race for second was far from over. After stalking Martin, Aleix Espargaro hit back with four to go, again mugging the Prima Pramac Racing rider at Turn 1 and getting the job done. Everything looked under control, but there was drama, drama just around the apex.
Over the line to start the penultimate lap, the Aprilia rider sat up into Turn 1. Was it a problem? A mistake? It was a heartbreaker, as Espargaro celebrated what would have been a fifth podium in a row but a lap too early. He realised not long after and slotted back in, duelling past Marini again as he watched the Prima Pramac duo disappear into the distance.
Up ahead, Quartararo crossed the line with a stunning advantage for a statement win, taking 25 points to extend his lead. Martin took second and Zarco third, with Mir then coming through to steal fourth late on after a stunning showcase from the Suzuki rider.
Aleix Espargaro crossed the line fifth for some still valuable points despite the pain of losing the podium, with Marini putting in an impressive race once again for sixth. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) had a strong Sunday to take P7, ahead of another raceday comeback for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the South African finished just ahead of teammate Miguel Oliveira.
Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) put in one of the rides of the day to complete the top ten despite starting last after sitting out qualifying following a big crash in practice. Marquez was diagnosed with no injuries on Saturday after a full check up, including cervical and neurological checks and an x-ray on his left arm, and after being passed fit to race in another medical review before Warm Up, the number 73 put in a stunner to move up to complete the top ten.
Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) managed to get the better of Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™) as the two rookies took P11 and P12, with Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) a few tenths further back in 13th. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) took P14, ahead of Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing).
That’s a wrap on a seismic weekend in Barcelona, with Germany next on the horizon. With the King of the Sachsenring on the sidelines his record of winning the races he’s competed in there will remain intact… but there’ll definitely be a new face on the top step. Join us for more as MotoGP™ returns in two weeks!
Fabio Quartararo: “I felt good from the beginning. I knew I wanted to be first in the first corner and finally I managed to get something crazy. So, I’m so happy, great to see all the fans here. I want to thank them all for coming here; it was an amazing race, and I feel great. I was not controlling all the race but pushing from the beginning, and then saw how my rear tyre was going. It was really good, and I had some margin and was always increasing my lead. So, I’m so happy. Mugello and here was meant to be difficult, but two and one is a really great result.”
MotoGP Catalunya Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Ducati – +0.635
2 Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) – Ducati – +6.473
3 Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) – Ducati – +8.385
Moto2
Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) vs Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) is one of the battles of the season in the standings, and in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya the two went head to head on track once again. In a stunning race to the line, it was just 0.081 between the two as Vietti pipped the home hero after a last lap lunge. The fight for third went to the wire too, with Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) taking the final step on the podium after a final sector move on Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team).
Dixon took the holeshot but the early race leader was Mugello podium finisher Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), with the American streaking away and only increasing his gap as a group fight for second raged in his wake. But it came to an early heartbreaking end for the American as he slid out from the lead mid-race, leaving that multi-rider fight for the podium as the multi-rider fight for the win. First it was Canet vs Dixon, then Vietti got past the Brit and the top two in the Championship were just about able to carve out some breathing space. This was it, Vietti vs Canet, all the way to the flag.
Onto the final lap it was the Italian ahead over the line, but Canet attacked at Turn 1 and took over in front. Still, the VR46 rider stalked his prey and chose a late move at Turn 10, slicing through to take over and then shutting every door. Out of the final corner Canet tried to find space around the outside but couldn’t quite make the attack, with the two then tucked in to the line and Vietti just taking it by 0.081. Another win and some more points for the Italian at the top of the table, but still another impressive bounce back and podium for Canet. Fernandez also had his work cut out, the Spaniard moving through from a bit further back to get into that fight at the front, make his way to the fight for the podium and then swoop past Dixon late on.
Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) had another impressive Sunday as the German took fifth, having fought in the group alongside Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) and Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) before the latter duo both crashed out with three to go. Mugello winner Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had a slightly tougher weekend in Barcelona as he took sixth, beating Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) to the line by just 0.022.
Alonso Lopez’s (Lightech Speed Up) impressive arrival to the World Championship continued in eighth, with the Spaniard less than a second behind Ogura. Manuel Gonzalez (VR46 Master Camp Team) took a top ten in P9, with Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) tenth and after an early Long Lap penalty for a shortcut.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team), Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team), Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP 40) and Fermin Aldeguer (Lightech Speed Up) completed the points.
We headed in with Vietti and Ogura equal on points and we leave for the Sachsenring with the Italian extending his lead and Canet taking back over in second. What awaits in Germany? We’ll find out in two weeks!
Moto2 Catalunya Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) – Kalex – 38’42.958
2 Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) – Kalex – +0.081
3 Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – +0.522
Moto3
Izan Guevara (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) was back on the top step in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, and in some serious style. Pulling away late on for a leisurely last lap – from the outside at least – the number 28 took victory by 1.9 seconds. The battle for second was a stunner too, with Daviz Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) coming out on top in only his second ever Grand Prix, beating Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) and Championship leader Sergio Garcia (Valresa GASGAS Aspar) to the line. Title contender Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) suffered a DNF after a technical problem.
Before that, Foggia grabbed the holeshot, with Garcia also making some headlines as he made up some good ground from the latter half of the top ten to slot in on the chase. Soon enough it settled into a now-familiar sight at the front: the GASGAS duo vs Leopard. And that way it stayed for a handful of laps, before that serious drama for Foggia. Heading into Turn 10, the Leopard rider headed wide but then slowed in the run off – suffering a technical problem and out the race.
There was more attrition heading for the front freight train. This time it was a multi-rider domino effect, with Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), David Salvador (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) and Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) all caught out and only Yamanaka able to rejoin. After implicated riders left the track before a hearing could take place regarding the incident, the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards will hold a hearing on Thursday of the German GP.
That drama had cut the front group down but more fast faces were soon on the scene as it returned to a fight throughout the points. Guevara had a small gap by five to go though, with Garcia on the chase and the stunning second ever World Championship race performance from Muñoz going strong as he duelled Suzuki.
Onto the final lap, there was no catching Guevara. The GASGAS rider had it signed, sealed and delivered with a healthy gap, and the battle for second only got closer. Garcia vs Suzuki vs Muñoz went right to the wire, with the number 44 giving the veterans as good as he got. And, he came out on top. Nearly neck and neck to the line, it was Muñoz who took it by 0.010 as Suzuki takes third and Garcia, despite holding second for a number of laps, forced to settle for fourth.
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) won the battle for fifth as the Turk took another top result but remains on the search for that podium, with Carlos Tatay (CFMoto PrüstelGP) next up. John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) finished seventh ahead of Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with a bigger gap behind the two veterans to Adrian Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Prüstel GP).
After a Guevara win, a Garcia fourth, Masia only P8 and a Foggia DNF, it’s the GASGAS duo pulling clear. Garcia retains a healthy 16-point advantage over Guevara but the number 28 cut 12 off at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya…
Moto3 Catalunya Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Izan Guevara (Valresa GASGAS Aspar Team) – GASGAS – 38:22.351
2 David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) – KTM – -+1.975
3 Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) – Honda – +1.985
Being a fan of the Yamaha R1 and having owned three, the chance to ride Marco Melandri’s WSBK machine exactly 10 years ago on one of my favourite tracks was a dream come true – and made even cooler by the fact that I watched him race on the bike the day before…
I had a bit of time to look over the Yamaha before riding it and what a work of art. By far the sexiest machine on the grid with loads of exposed carbon-fibre and titanium, the YWST R1 was about as distanced as you can get from the road bike…
Check out our other Throwback Thursdays here…..
Melandri is quite short, so my expectations were that I would simply not fit on the bike. But I was wrong. Aside from the rearsets being way too high for me, I actually found the bike a good fit as I try the number 33 bike for size a few minutes before my allocated session.
The bars are flat and pulled back GP style, the seat height not radically tall, the dash a good easy layout and the tank feels much narrower than the bulky streetbike tank. The bike feels nothing at all like a stock R1. If anything it feels like a large version of a TZ250 GP bike to sit in. Really surprising…
As Silvano, the Chief Engineer, fired the beast into life while the mechanics smiled at me (I’m sure the journo day is good entertainment for them) I got a little nervous, understandable I guess. I had not seen the track for almost 12 months and I had never ridden a WSBK bike.
I rolled forward, click up, fan the clutch and motor down pit lane with hundreds of people watching me. No pressure then? That sweet drone of the big bang engine is really exaggerated on the WSBK bike and by the time I exited pit lane it hit me – this is really happening! Melandri’s R1!
I knew the track very well and there is no time to muck around. I treated the first lap as a warm up lap in a race for example, so by the time I cross the chute for the first time I was trying hard. I’d already decided that this may be my only chance to ride these bikes and that I was going to have fun…
The top end of the bike shocked me, where the street bike drops away this thing starts to really haul – at that point the fastest top end I have ever felt on any bike and mades our domestic superbikes feel like 600s. Braking hard for turn one from around 300km/h I was given my very first experience of what $60,000 brakes feel like. The feeling was like nothing I have experienced and the stopping power incredible. At least 30 per cent more than anything I’ve ridden, I couldn’t imagine what a MotoGP bike must be like…
The back shifting was cool – I just clicked up and the bike revved itself and dropped down the gears allowing me to focus on braking and turning, something normal these days. The initial turn-in is ultra light and fast, quicker than all the bikes on the day as it turns out, and the biggest surprise for me was how soft the suspension is. The forks were very soft, even by a street set-up, but that was how Marco liked it apparently.
Braking hard for turn one from around 300km/h I was given my very first experience of what $60,000 brakes feel like.
Wayne Gardner rode the Ben Spies bike in 2009, he found the bike difficult to turn between initial turn and full lean but this problem had been solved – Marco’s bike falls graciously on its side and remains super planted. The grip from the SC1 WSBK Pirellis was insane and at that point I was cranked over further than I’d ever been.
Picking up the throttle is so easy. The Yamaha was the smoothest fuelling machine there and completely seamless, even from first gear corners. As soon as the throttle was cracked there was no jump, just smooth incredible torque and drive as the fat rear tyre hooks up while the unobtrusive electronics do their thing.
All up one of the best motorcycling experiences of my life and it only lasted 15 minutes. I guess that is all it takes to have a good time!
The bike is so quick off the corners I felt like I was being fired out of a cannon. Shifting via the quickshifter was smooth and the run-on into corners was amazing – there was very little engine braking but it comes in before the apex as the rpm drops – helping pull the bike into a nice tight line. Then it is point and fire off the turn, riding the back wheel to take full advantage.
The dynamics of the Yamaha made it a great racer. It was really nimble and fast steering, so it would’ve been great to fight for positions on and it fired off corners at almost any rpm. Really, a sensational bike to ride with an incredible top end to match.
As I came over the back dip for the second time I got a scare! Marco has the wheelie control set-up to work at high rpm but for a plonker like me who short shifts it isn’t working. I almost flipped the bike in fourth gear at about 200km/h and go for rear brake – but the lever is only for show. Marco runs no rear brake – at all! Doesn’t use it… Phew…
Well I got the bike back in one piece and was grinning like a mad man and hugging the crew – they were stoked to see someone so excited as well. All up one of the best motorcycling experiences of my life and it only lasted 15 minutes. I guess that is all it takes to have a good time.
TECH TALK
Featuring a revolutionary crossplane crankshaft engine and unique uneven firing order, the production model of the 2011 YZF-R1 delivers near linear torque providing smoother acceleration and greater levels of grip than previously thought possible, setting new standards for one litre sportsbikes.
Modifications to the machine for WSBK racing from the homologated model include different camshafts, pistons, valves, an enlarged radiator for extra cooling and the addition of an oil cooler. The 2011 YZF-R1 had no rear sub-frame but incorporates a strengthened frame. The exhaust was unique, and was developed in partnership with Akrapovic. The standard fuel tank was also been replaced with a lightweight version with an increased capacity, within FIM regulations.
The bike featured the latest Magneti Marelli (MHT) electronic systems with over 30 sensors on the bike to monitor variables such as temperature and pressure of air, oil, water and fuel. The temperature of the brakes and the tyres were also measured, as well as brake pressure, suspension travel, speed, acceleration, throttle position, camshaft position and crankshaft position. The swingarm was also developed purely for the WSBK racebike.
Many other details had been modified in parts and body design, a variety of carbon and titanium bits and pieces awere used that made the Yamaha WSB R1 one of the most sophisticated bikes on the grid.
For 2011, development was focused on further improved weight balance of the bike, resulting in again a further optimisation of fuel tank position as well as a power increase and further electronic systems improvements for traction, anti-wheelie and torque control as well as engine brake control.
Further regulation changes to the 2011 racing bike also include the use of more production parts such as fuel injectors, fuel pump and fuel regulator which also had an effect on the fuel injection mappings used in 2011.
Power: Over 215hp
Wet weight: 162kg
Fuel capacity: 23L
Engine:Liquid-cooled, four-cylinder, four-valve, DOHC four-stroke, Akropovic exhaust system, BMC airfilter
Bore and stroke: 78.0 x 52.2mm
Displacement: 998cc
Fuel delivery: Magneti Marelli
Gearbox: Six-speed cassette-style
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate slipper clutch
Frame type: Aluminium Deltabox
Wheelbase: Adjustable
Rake: Adjustable
Trail: Adjustable
Front suspension: Ohlins with TTX36 internals
Rear suspension: Ohlins TTX25 with YRT swingarm
Front brakes: 320mm Brembo rotors, Brembo four-piston monoblock calipers and Brembo radial-pull master-cylinder
Rear brake: Single 220mm rotor with twin-piston Brembo caliper
Front and rear wheels: Marchesini
Front tyre: Pirelli Slick, 120/70 – 16.5
Rear tyre: Pirelli Slick, 190/50 – 16.5 or 200/55 – 16.5
Instruments: Magneti Marelli race dash
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