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The irishman Jonathan Rea celebrates his 5th consecutive World Superbike Championship at Magny Cours
2019 Motul SBK World Superbike Championship, Round 11 of 13 Magny Cours, France, Portugal
Kawasaki's Jonathan Rea Takes His 5th WorldSBK Title at Magny Cours Algarve, Portugal, Sept 27-29th, 2019 - Jonathan Rea (KRT) took an all-time record fifth WorldSBK Riders’ Championship win today after finishing second in the Tissot-Superpole race and then winning Race Two. Leon Haslam (KRT) was ninth in the short race and then seventh in Race Two. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) added the ‘sprint’ race win to his Saturday Race One victory, before a no score in Race Two.
After overcoming a tough early season Jonathan Rea became the World Championship for a record fifth time in the best way possible - with a race win. No other rider has won five titles in this category, never mind five in succession.
The eventual timing of Jonathan’s latest title success was somewhat unexpected, despite his strong podiums showings in the first two Magny Cours races. Rea had a genuine opportunity to take the crown again after his only title rival Alvaro Bautista collided with Razgatlioglu and had to retire. Jonathan’s race two victory was his 12th win of the season.
Rea had aimed to win all the French WorldSBK races before the final contest of the weekend and he finally took his 83rdcareer victory by 0.862 seconds from Michael van der Mark. Jonathan’s latest title win came with two rounds to spare.
Haslam had a difficult Sunday after his Race One crash on Saturday but fought as hard as he could, against an aggravated shoulder injury and issues under braking, to record ninth and seventh place finishes today.
Rea’s championship points total is now 544, while Haslam is sixth overall after Razgatlioglu’s first two race wins in WorldSBK.
The next round is a flyaway event, and will be held at the El Villicum circuit in Argentina, between the 11th and 13th of October.
Jonathan Rea: “I am just super-happy. It has been the biggest challenge to date and we have just chipped away. The beginning of the season was really tough, to be beaten the way we were. But to mentally accept the challenge and keep working as a team - also away from the track – we kept strong. I have worked and kept working. We all go to each weekend looking for the opportunity and we have had lots of opportunities this year, and won a lot of races. It is beyond my wildest dreams to win the title here because after four rounds I would have bitten your hand off if you told me I was going to be champion. With yesterday’s race being quite chaotic I was nervous going into today because I did not understand the points situation. The target all weekend was to try and – realistically – win it in Argentina, so we could go to Qatar with less pressure. But we got another opportunity today and I felt a little bit better with the bike compared to yesterday. With the temperature going up the pace was not so fast I was able to manage the bike, and I could see my opportunity with Michael. He was struggling in some areas where we were strong. And we were weaker in some areas where he was strong. So I was putting that all together, learning that for a few laps and then putting my head down and getting the job done. Massive thanks to Kawasaki, the team, my sponsors, my family, all my friends and everybody in my corner. I am the guy taking the plaudits but it is such a big team effort and I am fortunate to be in this position.”
Race OneWorldSBK 800th race sees Razgatlioglu
taking his first WorldSBK victory ahead of Rea and Sykes
RACE ONE Saturday 28th - The Pirelli French Round produced one of the races of the WorldSBK season so far as five different riders lead at various stages, before Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) crashed out of the lead three laps from home, seemingly handing victory to Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), before a stunning final lap saw Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) take the spoils, despite starting from the sixth row.
As the race got underway, Jonathan Rea came under immediate pressure from Michael van der Mark with two almost colliding into the Adelaide hairpin on lap one. Their duel allowed Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to storm through from sixth on the grid to second by the end of lap one.
Sykes’ progress continued on Lap 2 as he used the corner speed of the BMW to overtake Rea at Estoril, although the leading group was growing and growing with Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) joining the action from 11th on the grid, while a remarkable early charge brought Toprak Razgatlioglu into play, despite starting down in 16th.
On Lap 3, Davies became the third different leader in as many laps but the Welshman’s challenge came to a dramatic end moments later with a crash into Turn 15. Davies’ lost the front end of his machine with second-placed Toprak Razgatlioglu fortunate to stay upright despite slight contact from the errant Ducati. The chaos allowed Sykes a moment of breathing space but the BMW rider was quickly reeled in, losing the lead to Michael van der Mark on Lap 6.
With the battle continuing to rage in the leading group, van der Mark was able to open up a slight advantage while Jonathan Rea came under intense pressure following a moment at the Nurburgring chicane. Toprak Razgatlioglu was able to edge ahead, setting the fastest lap in the process, but Rea ultimately regained P2 from the Turkish rider shortly after half-distance, allowing him to give chase after van der Mark who was 1.2 seconds to the good.
Behind the leading trio, Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) had established himself in an excellent fourth with Tom Sykes settling in fifth after an all-action start. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was holding sixth but the Briton was coming under increasing pressure from Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) as the Spaniard chased valuable championship points. Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was also in the thick of the action but a highside at the final chicane eliminated him five laps from home.
With clear track in front, Jonathan Rea began his relentless chase of Michael van der Mark, wiping out his advantage heading into the closing stages. With three laps remaining, the leading pair were together but van der Mark’s hopes of a second victory of 2019 were extinguished when the front end of his Yamaha folded into the Adelaide hairpin, the pressure proving too much.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) passes Jonathan Rea (1) on the last lap for the race wni.
Rea seemed on course for a 12th victory of the season, beginning the final lap one second clear of Razgatlioglu but a stunning final lap from the Turkish rider brought him right into the tail of the Ulsterman entering the last sector. Under braking for Turn 15, Toprak dived up the inside with Rea keen to avoid a costly collision, opting to settle for second.
The fight for the final podium spot also went down to the wire with Tom Sykes rallying in the latter stages to overhaul Loris Baz, securing BMW’s fourth podium of the season. Baz held on to fourth while Alvaro Bautista recovered up to fifth in the end.
Alex Lowes faded to finish a distant sixth while Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) marked his return from injury with a sensational ride to seventh, Honda’s best result of the 2019 season so far. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) finished eighth, his best result since Misano, with Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) and Sandro Cortese completing the top ten.
In the end, van der Mark remounted to finish 13th to secure three points which may prove valuable in the ever-tightening race for third in the championship standings. At the top, Jonathan Rea has extended his advantage to 100 points over Alvaro Bautista, and the possibility remains of a fifth title being clinched tomorrow.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) “I am so happy! The last lap was so stressful for me because I knew I was faster. I tried to pass Johnny, but the front was sliding a lot. I pushed hard and tried to keep the bike straight, and I made it. It is my first victory, and I extremely pleased with this! I am crying! It has been my dream for this season, and I achieve that. Now we see what will happen next race. I don't know how tomorrow will be. I hope it won't be raining! Thanks to all my team because today that have done an incredible job".
SBK Race 1• Complete Results Here
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.240
3. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +6.839
Jonthan Rea's win on Sunday wasn't easy as Vandermak (60) traded the lead with him all race long.
Race Two - Razgalioglu Takes Out Bautista, Handing Rea the Championship
RACE TWO Sunday September 29th - The Pirelli French Round will go down in the history books of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. It began with Turkey’s first ever winner in Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) and finished with Jonathan Rea winning Race 2 to become the championship’s first ever five-time champion following early misfortune for nearest rival Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati).
Starting from pole position for the first time in WorldSBK, Toprak Razgatlioglu couldn’t make the same lightning start which saw him leap up the order in the two previous races. Rea edged up the inside into Turn 1 to grab the lead but he wouldn’t stay ahead for long, as Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) used the slipstream to hit the front at the Adelaide hairpin.
The moment which ultimately proved decisive in the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship came on Lap 2 as Razgatlioglu lost the rear of his Kawasaki on the exit of Turn 13. As the Turkish rider fought to control the slide, Alvaro Bautista was powerless to avoid the Race 1 winner and both riders were eliminated on the spot. With the words ‘BAUTISTA OUT’ displayed on his pit-board next time around, Rea now knew that a race victory would see him make history.
Michael van der Mark was keen to ensure that Rea didn’t have an unchallenged run to a fifth WorldSBK crown, keeping the Ulsterman at bay until the Imola chicane on Lap 6. The Dutchman didn’t trail for long with the Yamaha proving a formidable motorcycle down the back straight towards Turn 5, an advantage van der Mark utilised to power past on Lap 8.
As the race ticked over half distance, Rea mounted another attack on the leader with van der Mark going defensive into Adelaide. The championship leader was wise to this tactic though and drew alongside into the following Nurburgring chicane, making the move stick on Lap 13. With van der Mark no longer close enough to make use of the slipstream next time around, Rea had the margin he needed to ease clear.
Despite a valiant effort from van der Mark, the advantage grew to over one-second, allowing Rea to close out the final laps and claim his 12th victory of 2019. This one was the sweetest of all though as he completed one of the great WorldSBK comebacks. From 61 points behind, Rea now holds an unassailable 129-point advantage and a place in the history books as the first ever five-time WorldSBK champion.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) completed the team’s first double-podium of the season with a close third, consolidating third in the championship standings, while Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati), who was heavily delayed in the early collision between his team-mate Alvaro Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu, recovered to finish fourth, overtaking home favourite Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing - Yamaha) on Lap 14. Despite a late challenge from the Frenchman, he was forced to settle for fifth, completing a positive weekend at his home round as the Top Independent Rider in Race 2.
Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) closed out the final European round of his WorldSBK career with a strong charge from 15th on the grid to sixth, winning a close three-way fight on the last lap. The Italian finished just a tenth of a second clear of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) right behind the pair in eighth.
Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) capped off an impressive comeback to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with ninth place, finishing a second clear of Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing). Elsewhere, there were points for French wildcard Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) in 13th but disappointment for Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) who was forced to retire midway through the race while running in the top ten.
P1 - Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) - "I can quite believe it. It has been an incredible year so far, and a year I have never given up, I've kept believing in myself, believing in my bike, believing in my crew and believing in my effort. After the fourth race, it was so tough to keep turning up when you know that he is going to be so difficult to win, but in the mid-season, we turn things around. I don't have so many words right now, because I did not expect this today. I had no idea what was going to happen. If I would win today, what was the point situation, but I knew when I got the sign that Bautista was out that I could mathematically have the chance. And I did it! Thanks to all my team, all my family and all the people who have been working with me, Kawasaki, the sponsors, all the people that made this possible. It's a huge team effort, and I couldn't be here without them"
P2 - Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) - "I tried everything today! We improved the bike a bit in some area but toward the end, we lost quite a lot from Johnny but I really enjoyed this race and we had a nice battle! Of course, I saw that Alvaro was out so I knew Rea wasn't going to do any crazy thing. I tried to stay with him, I passed him a few times but in the end he was a bit stronger. I want to thank my team because we got another podium".
P3 - Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) - "I have got a little bit of good luck at the start of the race with the accident that happened in front of me. But after that, I felt strong on the bike and I was able to ride in 1'37 and catch Jonathan and Michael. Unfortunately, I pushed a lot in the middle and when I got there my front tyre was worn out a lot, so I couldn't fight with van der Mark in the end but I am pleased with the podium and it set us out nicely for the final two fly-aways of the year".
World Superbike
Jonthan Rea celebrates his Race One win at Portimao.
2019 Motul SBK World Superbike Championship, Round 10 of 13 Algarve, Portugal
Baustista's Back! as Ducati Trades Wins with Kawasaki's Jonthan Rea Algarve, Portugal, Sept 6-8th, 2019 - Jonathan Rea (KRT) left the Portimao round of the 2019 SBK World Superbike Championship with two race wins and a second place finish to extend his championship points lead with just three rounds remaining. Ducati's Chaz Davies was amle to claim 2nd in behind Rea in Saturdays Race One, with early season leader Alvaro Bautista fighting hard to bring his Ducahi home in first place ahead of Rea in Sundays feature Race Two.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) took a podium finish of third in Race Two today. After his win in Race One on Saturday Rea got today’s action off to another victorious start. In the ten-lap Tissot Superpole race Rea enjoyed a start-to-finish win, with his championship rival Alvaro Bautista eventually second.Rea’s pole position was turned into an immediate advantage as he pushed on remorselessly to take the victory and a new lap record of 1’41.272.
The next round will be held between 27th and 29th of September in Magny Cours, France.
Saturday Race One
The Acerbis Portuguese Round welcomed the first race of the weekend with World Superbike Race 1, with the sun still shining brightly and the WorldSBK grid ready for their return to action. With Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) starting from pole, the Ulsterman made it an eighth consecutive win at Portimao, with three different manufacturers on the Race 1 Portimao podium.
With the race getting underway, it was Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) got the holeshot and took the lead into Turn 1 but there was drama behind. A lunge from Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) saw him barge his own teammate Alvaro Bautista out of the way, forcing Bautista right down to 18th place after the Spaniard tagged the back of Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team).
By the end of Lap 1, it was Rea leading Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Chaz Davies was up to fourth and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) made a bright start in fifth.
Above: Rea (1) leads Sykes (66), Haslam (9) and Davies (7) with Bautista recovering fromt the far back of the field (91).
At the end of Lap 3, Davies and van der Mark had disposed of Leon Haslam, with the Kawasaki rider fading. But two laps later, and Davies had got ahead of Tom Sykes at Turn 1, with van der Mark taking advantage at Turn 3 before Haslam took the 2013 WorldSBK champion at Turn 6. On the front straight, Razgatlioglu got ahead of Sykes at the end of the lap, capping off a bad lap for the Huddersfield rider. Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) was the first crasher of the race at Turn 8 but remounted and was back racing.
Further back, Bautista was caught up behind Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) in the battle for ninth, with the two veterans of motorcycle racing swapping paint between Turn 9 and 12. However, Bautista made it ahead at the end of the lap and soon, got ahead of Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK). Back in the fight for fourth, and it was Tom Sykes who crashed at Turn 13, not the way he wanted to celebrate a contract extension for 2020. Sykes re-joined and was back in the points by the halfway distance.
Whilst they scrapped it out for the remaining podium positions, Jonathan Rea had already built up a lead of over three seconds and was well on his way for an eighth consecutive Portimao victory. Unrivalled, untouched and unbelievable dominant, Rea had come into his own in Portugal.
With 11 laps to go and with tyre life now becoming a factor, Razgatlioglu made his move at Turn 3 and got ahead of Leon Haslam. The Independent rider was ahead of the factory rider and now, Razgatliolgu had two seconds ahead of him until the podium battle between Davies and van der Mark. In seventh place, Alvaro Bautista was beginning to close on Alex Lowes, who was having a quiet race in sixth position. Bautista was the fastest rider on track, in a race of ‘what could’ve been’.
With nine laps to go, Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) came into the pits to end what had been a disappointing race. The Irishman was on pole at the Portimao venue in 2018 but that kind of success had been far away a year later. Back in the battle for fourth and Leon Haslam had got back ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu and began to edge clear with seven laps to go. But now, a new threat was very much in the fight: Alvaro Bautista was taking chunks out of the gap, lapping nearly a second a lap quicker.
At Turn 5 with six to go, Bautista took advantage of Lowes’ error as the British rider ran in too deep; Bautista was now sixth. Further up, the battle for second had calmed, with Davies seemingly able to break away from van der Mark. Bautista cleared Razgatlioglu with three laps to go on the straight and tried to get ahead of Haslam at Turn 3, but the Brit held on and toughed it out through Turn 4, as the three battled hard. A lap later and Bautista used the top speed of the Ducati and took fourth from Haslam, where he would stay until the chequered flag.
Across the line, it was Jonathan Rea who took the win and extended his championship lead to 94 points. Chaz Davies was a safe second from 12th on the grid and van der Mark a settled third. Bautista came home fourth ahead of Leon Haslam, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu faded to finish in sixth, but all the way from 13th on the grid to finish as top Independent. Alex Lowes was seventh, ahead of Sandro Cortese, Marco Melandri and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), just edging out Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) to complete the top ten.
Saturday Race 1 - Complete Results Here
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati) +3.891
3. Michael van der Mark (PATA Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +6.168
Race Two winner Bautista.
Sunday Race Two
A thrilling Race 2 at Portimao fired the championship race back into life as Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) overcame a poor start and a shoulder injury to triumph over Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in a final lap run to the line. With plenty of drama from lights out and slipstreaming battles soon following, groups were scattered right through the field and provided a packed Portimao plenty of action.
Off the line and it was a blissful start for Rea from pole position but a disaster for Alvaro Bautista, who plunged down the order to sixth place after Lap 1. Toprak Razgatlioglu was a fast starter and up to second, ahead of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Alex Lowes was fourth (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and teammate Michael van der Mark was fifth, ahead Bautista – but the Spaniard was right in the hunt as the group remainder close together.
Bautista soon began his comeback, first picking off Michael van der Mark down the front straight at the end of Lap 1, before picking off Alex Lowes two laps later. The comeback continued and he hit third a lap later, before slicing ahead of Jonathan Rea to momentarily lead with 15 to go. But Toprak Razgatlioglu had other ideas, as the Turkish rider hit the front of the field.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (58) holds an early lead in Race Two ahead of Bautista (19) and Rea.
With Razgatlioglu and Bautista leading, Rea had to try and find a way to react to the change of the guard at the front. Leon Haslam was still in the mix with the two Pata Yamahas just sat behind, with the front six covered by just one second. A lap later, the horsepower of the Ducati propelled Alvaro Bautista back into the lead of a race for the first time since Misano, and the Spaniard soon began to put the hammer down.
Jonathan Rea fought back on his fellow Kawasaki rider Toprak Razgatlioglu, but whilst he closed up on Bautista, he wasn’t able to make a move on the Spaniard. Further back and at half race distance, isolation of the leading six began to set in. Alex Lowes made his move on Leon Haslam with 10 to go, after the ‘Pocket Rocket’ lost an entire second to his fellow Brit.
One rider to watch was Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) as he closed on the battle for fourth. Behind them, Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) were squabbling over ninth, just behind Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK).
With the gap between Bautista and Rea extending to over a second, and Razgatlioglu sat in a safe third place – barring acts of God – the big battle on track was for fourth, with Alex Lowes and Leon Haslam swapping places with five laps to go. At Turn 3, Michael van der Mark parked his Yamaha in the way of Haslam, bringing Loris Baz right into play. Haslam fought back however, and a lap later at Turn 5 he was back into fifth place and chasing after Alex Lowes.
In the closing laps, the race began to come alive at the front, with Rea lapping quicker than Bautista and the gap coming down to less than a second, although with two laps left to run, it was beginning to look a little bit late for Rea to return to the front. However, his teammate – Leon Haslam was climbing all over Alex Lowes in the battle for fourth.
On the final lap, the gap at the front closed dramatically and Jonathan Rea was right with the Spaniard, but on the run to the line, Ducati power prevailed over Rea’s resilience. Bautista was back on top and took the verdict, winning for the first time at Portimao. Rea was second and Toprak Razgatlioglu took a tenth career podium in third. Alex Lowes held-off Leon Haslam but Loris Baz made it to sixth and beat Michael van der Mark. Lowes therefore returns to the third overall.
Marco Melandri putting in a hearty effort for eighth place, whilst Tom Sykes was able to beat Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) in the remaining places inside the top ten. Jordi Torres was eleventh and couldn’t return to the top ten, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) and Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) completing the points.
The gap comes down to 91 points in the championship race, but the battle for third is well and truly alive, with 45 points covering third to seventh. Who will come out on top in both battles however, is yet to be seen.
P1 - Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati) "It has been a long time since my last win, so I feel extremely happy to be back winning. The last few races were not easy for me, but everybody has been supporting me, so I want to thank all the people who have believed in me. Today it was a tough race. I wasn't 100% fit, and after yesterday race I haven't a lot of energy left. In the final laps, I was fighting with the bike, the tyre performance dropped a lot, and I was destroyed. I am so happy about this victory".
Results Race two - Complete Results Here
1. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.111
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) +4.576
Ducati Streetfighter Prototype Pikes Peak Race Bike June 15th, 2019 - Offical Ducati Press photo of the new Panigale V4 Streetfighter prototype in racing trim for the Pikes Peak record run this week. The Pikes Peak race organizers had outlawed full faired sport bikes bikes as being "too dangerously fast" so taking the fairing off the 225hp V4 Superbike and making it lighter and faster must have seemed like a good idea. Ducati has said the actual production version of the naked Streetfighter with be based on the 1100cc V4S Superbike and will premier at EICMA in November and will be available in Ducati dealers early spring of 2020.
Ducati’s return to The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2019 will prove to be the most epic race up the hill yet on the new Streetfighter V4. The fight to regain Ducati’s title as King of the Mountain is on!
Four-time champion, Carlin Dunne, has been testing and developing the highest performance Streetfighter in anticipation for race day, June 30th. As the most powerful Streetfighter ever put into production, the new Streetfighter V4 is poised to write a new chapter in this year’s edition.
Alongside Dunne, Codie Vahsholtz will be riding the race-winning Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak. Vahsholtz is a Colorado native who comes from a family of Pikes Peak champions and has established a series of victories of his own by developing in a class the first year, then winning it the next. The competition is fierce but Codie has trained this off-season with more focus than ever.
Carlin Dunne Killed at Pikes Peak
Four-time Pikes Peak Hillclimb motorbike class winner in Sunday’s 97th edition Race July 1st 2019, Pikes Peak, Colorado - Ducati rider Colin Dunne, 36 years old lost controland was killed towards the flying finish of the fabled 12-mile, 156-turn hillclimb course. He won the motorcycle element at Pikes Peak in on Ducati Multistradas in 2011, ‘12, ‘13 and ‘18. Dunne had taken a multi-year break from the sport to concentrate on a film making, before his return last year.
Because of his top Qualifying Time earlier in the week on the new Ducati Streetfighter V4 prototype, Dunne was the last motorcycle
racer to tackle the Pikes Peak course on Monday for the record runs. Dunne was on a record setting pace by some 6 seconds as he approached the final corner at the top of the mountian leading over the finish line. It is well known the pavement in that section is very uneven and observerss reported that Dune lost control of the bike on the bumpy pavement and went straight off the side of the mountain. The Pikes Peak Race Organizers immediatley kept the accident location restricted to the media and would not release any details of Dunne's recovery by rescue and medical personel, but it is assumed Dunne died on site on impact.
A joint statement from event organisers and Ducati North America read: “The collective hearts of the Colorado Springs community and the Board of Directors of The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, along with Ducati North America, share the grief and pain of Carlin Dunne’s family, friends and fans over his untimely death.
Throughout the 97 years that this unique race has been conducted on America's Mountain, we have experienced the ultimate joy in victory, the disappointment of failure and now, the unexpected heartbreak of the loss of a competitor, whose love of the race brought him to Pikes Peak.
“We mourn the tragic death of Carlin and he will remain in our hearts forever as part of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb family. Carlin will be remembered as a warm hearted mentor with a competitive spirit. He was a gentle and thoughtful man who touched everyone who met him. We will always remember his contagious smile and genuine love for sport.”
Godspeed, Colin.
Carl Fogarty checks out the new 2020 "25° Anniversario 916" which is built on the mechanics of the Panigale V4 S.
Panigale V4 25°Anniversario 916:
the Ducati tribute to the bike that changed Superbike history
Pebble Beach / Laguna Seca, California (USA), 12 July 2019 – In 2019 a quarter of a century will have elapsed since the Ducati 916 arrived on the global stage, forever changing the Superbike world. Born from Massimo Tamburini’s sketches, this bike has revolutionized the world of motorcycle design and has made fans fall in love all over the planet. Incredibly innovative in its style, elegance, lightweight and compactness, by many it’s believed to be the sexiest and most iconic bike ever built.
The Ducati 916 wasn't just a beautiful bike and an enormous sales success. It also won World Superbike championships: the 916 SBK was a force to be reckoned with even as it made its debut in 1994, and the following years saw it win 120 races, 8 constructors' titles and 6 riders' titles, four of them with Carl Fogarty. The Englishman has won 55 races with Ducati, of which 43 riding a Ducati 916 SBK and 996 SBK. "King Carl" and the 916 remain the most successful "couple" in Ducati SBK
history.
The Ducati 916 SBK World Superbike of 1994 actually displaced 955cc
using the previous year's engine and displacement found in the 1993 Team Corse 888 World Superbike.
Ducati has decided to celebrate this anniversary by building a special 916-dedicated version of the Panigale V4. Hence the genesis of the Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916: a unique limited-edition bike of only 500 pieces, designed to let all true Ducatisti re-live the spirit of the 916.
The "25° Anniversario 916" is built on the mechanics of the Panigale V4 S. This has been upgraded with racing content from the Panigale V4 R such as the Front Frame, designed to Ducati Corse specifications. The look of the bike combines a special livery with forged magnesium wheels, a titanium type-approved Akrapovič exhaust and a long list of Ducati Performance components.
For its world-first preview, Ducati chose round nine of the Superbike World Championship, takingplace this weekend at Laguna Seca (California, USA). Here, Francesco Milicia (VP Global Sales & After Sales Director Ducati Motor Holding), Jason Chinnock (CEO Ducati North America) and Carl Fogarty unveiled the Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916.
The presentation of the bike was also an occasion of remembrance, honouring Californian Carlin Dunne, the Spider Grips Ducati team rider who recently died at Pikes Peak. Jason Chinnock announced Ducati's decision to remove the number 5 from selling, the same number that Dunne used to race with. The bike will be auctioned, with proceeds going to a fund-raising effort aimed at providing Carlin's mother with support.
"In all of modern motorcycling history, no bike has been as era-defining as the 916, both in terms of design and performance. I'm incredibly proud to present this exclusive version of our Panigale V4, itself a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the 916." stated Francesco Milicia during the event at Pebble Beach. "We've decided to present the bike together with none other than "King" Carl Fogarty himself. Presenting it on the American Superbike stage underscores our dedication to the US market, where bike enthusiasts and collectors alike will, I am sure, appreciate the uniqueness of the Panigale V4 25° Anniversary 916."
"I’m thrilled to be here at this event," stated Carl Fogarty after riding the Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916 onto the stage at Pebble Beach. "The Ducati 916 gave me some fantastic, unforgettable moments. It played a starring role in my career and in the history of the World Superbike Championship. On the wider motorcycling scene, it set a whole new standard of style and performance. I’m proud to have played a pivotal role in that success story, and equally proud to be here today and celebrate this important anniversary by officially unveiling this breath-taking bike."
Starting from Saturday morning, the Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916 will go on display at Ducati Island (the space Ducati traditionally sets aside for its fans during American races). Furthermore, Team Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders, Álvaro Bautista and Chaz Davis, will compete on bikes with a livery inspired by the Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916. The Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916 will arrive in dealerships starting from October 2019 at a price of 41,900 Euro (USD $47,225) ex-works (price is country specific).
The GEICO Gecko watched Davies and Rae battle through the Corkscrew in both races.
2019 Motul SBK World Superbike Championship, Round 9 of 13GEICO Laguna Seca, USA
Chaz is Back! Davies and Rea Trade Wins at Laguna Seca
as Bautista Hits the Ground Again Laguna Seca Raceway, USA, July 13-15th, 2019 - WorldSBK Supebike flew into Laguna Seca Raceway USA with high hopes that Ducati's Alvaro Bautista would return to his early season race domination and reel back in on Kawasaki's Jonthan Rea for the Championhip points battle. But a crash on the open lap of Saturday's Race One, and then in the Sunday morning Superpole Race resulted in an injured should that prevented Baustia from riding more than a lap in Sunday's feature Race Two before he was forced to retire. It would be up to Bautista's team mate and former Laguna Seca race winner Chaz Davies to finally find his form and setup for the first time this season on the new Ducati V4RS challenge Jonthan Rea for the win in Race One, and then Chaz return on Sunday to fight off Rea again and win RaceTwo in dominate form.
Again the Laguna Seca Superbike race weekend featured American Superbikes racing in the Moto America Championship. In looking at the hillside and spectators in the grandstand, spectator attendace at the once hugely popular American venue, now seems to have stagnated around 3,000 attendees for the race days since World Superbike returned to LagunaSeca in 2013 after a 4 year hiatus. Again WSBK denied our FastDates.com Calendar Media Requestfor the 3rd year in a row to attend and shoot the FAST DATES Calendar at Laguna Seca with the factory race teams on Pit Lane, as the current DORNA ownersdo their best to stiffle any support for the struggling American Superbike race venue.
When Bautista stayed up on 2 wheels he was the fastest.
Meanwhile Jonathan Rea (KRT) enters the long summer break in WorldSBK action with an 81-point championship lead having scored another race win and a final runner-up spot on Sunday at Laguna Seca. Leon Haslam (KRT) recovered well from his big fall on Saturday to record a fifth and sixth place finish today. Top independent rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) took another podium finish, in Race Two.
The Tissot-Superpole race on Sunday morning was cut from ten to eight laps after a red flag was thrown to halt the action after two backmarkers had crashed. For the second time this weekend former championship leader Alvaro Bautista fell in a race, and he could not make the restarted Superpole race. Rea, setting a new lap record of 1’22.700 in the process, won the Tissot-Superpole race to take his total of 2019 race victories to nine after winning the opening Laguna Seca race on Saturday.
There was to be no tenth race win to round out this weekend but in finishing a strong second behind Chaz Davies in Race Two Rea extended his championship points lead to a remarkable 81, on a weekend when his main rival Bautista no scored completely after retiring from Race Two.
Rea lifted his career race-winning total to a new and unparalleled height of 80 (part of 156 total podiums) thanks to his pair of winner’s trophies from this round. In the championship points Rea has 433, Bautista 352, Alex Lowes 220, Michael van der Mark 215, Haslam 202 and Razgatlioglu 191.
After the very long summer break – in WorldSBK action at least - the tenth round of the championship will be held at Portimao between 6 and 8 September. Before that Rea, Haslam and Razgatlioglu will compete at the Suzuka 8 Hours race and then there will be an official WorldSBK test for all at Portimao in late August.
Rea conquers Race 1 at Laguna Seca as Bautista crashes again
RACE OBE Saturday 14th - The 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship title race took yet another twist and turn around the undulations of the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. In a dramatic opening few laps, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) led the ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati pairing of Chaz Davies and Alvaro Bautista, before another unthinkable error blew the championship wide open once again.
Off the line, it was a strong start from Rea, and the reigning four-time WorldSBK Champion held the advantage from Bautista and Davies. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) made a blistering start and was fourth by Turn 5, whilst Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), despite an initially good start, was back in fifth. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) held his own off the line. Into the penultimate corner on the opening lap, Davies got ahead of Bautista and went in pursuit of Jonathan Rea.
New lap records came thick and fast, with Davies initially setting it on Lap 2 before his teammate bettered on Lap 3, becoming the first rider to set a 1.22s lap in race trim. One lap later and it was a disaster for Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), as the British rider hit the deck at the Corkscrew.
At the beginning of Lap 5, Davies challenged Rea and through Turns 1 and 2, the Welshman took the lead but ran wide, with Rea slicing back through and sitting the Ducati rider up. Alvaro Bautista was right in the mix and beginning to get into the swing of things but then, a disaster. Bautista crashed once again in the early stages of the race on a full tank of fuel. The Spaniard tucked the front at Turn 5 and his Ducati Panigale V4 R was in the gravel once again.
With Bautista re-joining but out of the leading group, Jonathan Rea edged clear of Chaz Davies, with the top two stabilising until the end of the race, with Rea taking his race lead up to five seconds. Toprak Razgatlioglu was up in third place and despite a mid-race charge from Sykes, he held on to complete the top three.
Battles were strewn all the way through the field, starting with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) pipping Jordi Torres for fifth in the final few laps. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) put in a strong ride to seventh from 15th on the grid, getting ahead of Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha).
Further back, Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) recovered from his worst Tissot Superpole in 17th to get to ninth. Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) was enjoying a good battle with Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) over 11th. The battle for 13th went the way of Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team), who pushed ahead of Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK).
Back at the front, it was an eighth win of 2019 for Jonathan Rea, who romped home ahead of Davies and Razgatlioglu. Tom Sykes was fourth ahead of Alex Lowes, whilst Jordi Torres took his best result of the season in sixth, with two Independent riders inside the top six. Van der Mark and Baz were next up in seventh and eighth, whilst Marco Melandri and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) completed the top ten. The championship advantage now increases for Rea, with a 49-point lead over rival Alvaro Bautista.
Saturday Race 1 - Full Results Here
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati) +5.693
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) +12.721
Davies takes first win of 2019 in Race 2 at Laguna Seca
RACE TWO Sunday 15th - The final race of the weekend for the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at Laguna Seca took place under predictably sunny skies, with Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) taking his first win of the season with a dominant lights-to-flag victory. His teammate, Alvaro Bautista, retired from the race with injury after crashing in the Tissot Superpole Race, meaning the gap extends between himself and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at the head of the field.
Another lightening start from Chaz Davies from second on the grid meant the Welshman took the advantage at Turn 1 and held it at Turn 2. Racing into third place, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) made a brisk start whilst slotting in behind him, Tom Sykes aboard his BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team machine. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was ahead of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), whilst Jordi Torres Team Pedercini Racing) was up in eighth.
Jonathan Rea tried once to get ahead of Davies on Lap 2 on the entrance to Turn 5 but ran wide and allowed Davies to take the lead back. It would stay like this for the entire distance, with Jonathan Rea unable to match Chaz Davies, who was in a class of his own at the head of the field. Toprak Razgatlioglu was soon dropped but was lapping constantly quicker than those behind him, consolidating his podium pace.
After Lap 2, Alvaro Bautista’s injured shoulder proved too much, and the Spaniard’s luckless weekend came to a premature end when he retired. Two laps later, third in the championship Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was out with a technical problem. The battle for third place in the championship was now really on.
Battles were strewn throughout the field, with Alex Lowes mugging Sykes halfway through the race before clearing off into a safe fourth place, whilst Sykes and Haslam ran toe-to-toe for the remainder of the race, although it resulted in no change of order. Behind them, Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) had come through the order to get ahead of Jordi Torres. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was strong too, up to ninth from a poor starting position.
But back at the front, it was all about Chaz Davies as he pulled away from Rea and came home with a huge advantage to win his first race since Aragon Race 2 in 2018. Rea was up in second and extending his championship advantage to 81 points. Toprak Razgatlioglu was back on the rostrum yet again, consolidating his position as a real challenger for third overall in the championship. Alex Lowes and Tom Sykes completed the top five, whilst Leon Haslam was sixth.
Loris Baz held off a resurgent Jordi Torres to come home seventh, whilst Marco Melandri had to make do with ninth, whilst fellow countryman Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was inside the top ten yet again in tenth position, just pipping Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) who finished 11th.
Results Race 2 - Complete Results Here
1. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +3.333
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) +11.658
P1 - Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati)
"This means so much to me. It's been a tough season for me. We've been trying so many things and not just really finding my feet. This year has been so so tough for many different reasons, but I want to say thanks to my team because they've been behind me the whole way and nobody threw the towel, and they kept trying to get more and more comfortable and this is the result. To win here on the U.S. soil is so amazing. I think it's my fourth win here and I love Laguna, I love America, I love California and bringing home the victory today is the best way to going into the Summer Break. I am really happy with that, and it is dedicated to all my team".
P2 - Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
"I am super satisfied with our weekend. We got two wins, a new lap record and also a second place! It is good for us. The team gave me a great bike and our ZX-10RR was working so good. We just made a small change between the Superpole Race and Race 2 that put my front in crisis a little bit, and I was struggling to finish the corner, but aside from that, I did the best I could so congratulation to Chaz and Ducati. I am looking forward to my Summer Break now".
P3 - Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)
"I am happy to be on the podium again. This morning the Tissot Superpole Race didn't go well because after the red flag we didn't change tyres, and we were able to finish just fourth. But for Race 2 I knew that my feeling with the bike was good. I tried to follow the front guys but I couldn't keep their pace as again, after 10 laps, tyres dropped their performance. Anyway, I am pleased about this second podium, and I now am looking forward to starting my holidays".
MV Agusta Super Sexy Superveloce 800 Serie Oro MV Agusta, June 1st, 2019 - The lines of the limited edition Superveloce 800 Serie Oro are a modern interpretation of the iconic stylistic concept of the MV Agusta. A fusion of vintage and contemporary ensures that the future incorporates the memories of good times gone by: 37 world titles, legendary victories, challenges that required going beyond the possible. Live the emotions that helped to create the Meccanica Verghera legend. This is a limited production run of just 100 Serie Oro, with pricing is around $43,000. More information at - https://www.mvagusta.com/en/superveloce-800-serie-oro
Jonthan Rea celebrates his Race One win in the rain at Misano.
2019 Motul SBK World Superbike Championship, Round 7 of 13 Misano World Circuit, Rimini, Italy
Jonthan Rea Closes the Points Chases on Bautist at Misano Rimini, Italy, June 21-23rd, 2019 - Four-times World Champion Jonathan Rea and his KRT Ninja ZX-10RR dominated the proceedings at the Misano World Superbike weekend, taking his third Superpole of the year before running out a clear winner in a wet Race One on Saturday, and a dry track on Sunday. Rea’s double weekend wins made it 131 WorldSBK race victories for Kawasaki riders since the series started in 1988, cementing Kawasaki’s position as the second-most successful manufacturer in this regard. A 3rd place finsih in saturdays' wet race, and a cras on the opening lap of Race Two saw Championship points leader Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) loose half of his huge points lead to reigning champ Jonthan Rea , assuring an exciting title chase for the second half of the year.
Wet Race 1 sees Rea victorious as Sykes and Bautista completes podium
RACE 1, Saturday 22nd - With the rain continuing to fall by the bucket-load, it was a delayed start to WorldSBK Race 1 at Misano, Italy. After a 20-minute delay, racing got underway in treacherous conditions but after just two full laps, the red flag was brought back out as the remain intensified. After the restart, drama unfolded all through the field, but it was Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who made hay whilst the sun certainly did not shine!
With the race getting underway nearly 25 minutes late, it was a frantic opening few laps before the red flag was waved. Alex Lowes was the race leader ahead of Jonathan Rea, whilst Tom Sykes and Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) were right behind. After the red flag came out, positions for the new restart would be made up by the order of the riders at their most recent timing point.
As the race got underway for a second time for a reduce 18-lap distance, it was another great start for Jonathan Rea, who had the lead ahead of Lowes again, with Sykes third and Chaz Davies up to fourth, ahead of Bautista. Haslam was sixth but one of the biggest improvers was Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK). Thunder and lightening certainly made the opening laps very frightening, but the WorldSBK warriors continued to battle.
Conditions began to deteriorate and soon, riders began to drop back accordingly, with some eventually dropping out. Lowes began to close on rival Rea and at Turn 8 with 12 laps left to go. Behind the leading duo, it was Loris Baz who had got himself up into seventh place and was now beginning to close down Alvaro Bautista. One lap later, it was Bautista’s teammate Chaz Davies who went head-to-head with Leon Haslam.
However, with ten laps left to run, it was drama out front at Turn 12, as Alex Lowes crashed out of the lead to complete a miserable set of races for the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team rider. Now, it was Jonathan Rea who had the lead back. Behind Rea, Michele Pirro (BARNI Racing Team) crashed at the same corner. Tom Sykes was now second, and Leon Haslam was third, with Davies and Bautista behind.
It was drama with nine laps to go, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) crashing at Turn 13, completing a wretched day for the BARNI outfit. Then at Turn 8, more spills, this time with Leon Haslam at Turn 8. The British rider remounted but retired with too much damage done. Chaz Davies was now third, but a small error allowed Bautista through, whilst Loris Baz was now fifth and Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team) in sixth!
A small error from Davies allowed Bautista through into third, whilst Baz eventually closed down Davies to get fourth and then, the Frenchman hunted down Bautista, albeit not being able to close him down enough to pass. The battle for sixth was raging, as Delbianco came under pressure from Melandri, with the veteran Italian getting ahead of his rookie compatriot on the front straight. Delbianco was then swallowed up at Turn 8, as Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and Yuki Takahashi (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) moved ahead.
Out front, it was Rea who took the win, his 74th win and 10 years and one day after his first at the same track. Tom Sykes gave BMW their first podium since 2013 at Jerez and Alvaro Bautista salvaged a podium after an eventful first wet race. Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) took the fourth place and was top Yamaha, ahead of Chaz Davies in fifth.
Marco Melandri held on to sixth place from 13th on the grid, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu suffered a huge crash in the final sector of the last lap. Cortese picked up seventh ahead of Yuki Takahashi, Lorenzo Zanetti (Team Goeleven) and Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) – the Argentine picking up his first top ten in almost a year. Delbianco was a career-best 11th at the flag.
Results Race 1 - Complete Results Here
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
1. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +3.692
3. Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati) +7.756
Sam Lowes (Pata yamaha) fights to hold off Tom Sykes
(BMW).
Rea takes his 75th WorldSBK victory as Bautista crashes RACE 2 Sunday June 23rd - With a 39-point advantage over Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) had a comfortable margin ahead of Race 2 in WorldSBK, combined with a pole position start. The 34-year-old Spaniard looked set for another win but, for a second round, Bautista crashed out of the lead at the start of Lap 2 at Turn 4. This made for an incredible battle at the front as the championship catapulted into life in Italy.
With the race underway, Bautista took the holeshot into Turn 1 as the pack filtered through as neat as possible. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) blasted through the order and was into third by Turn 1, challenging Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) into Turn 4. At Turn 14, Jonathan Rea sliced under the Turkish rider for third place.
Then, drama at Turn 4 on Lap 2 as Alvaro Bautista made another error, crashing out of the lead as the front end gave way. The Spaniard crashed out, leaving Leon Haslam in the lead ahead of teammate Rea, whilst Razgatlioglu was third ahead of Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Bautista re-joined but was at the back of the field.
With 18 laps to go, it was Razgatlioglu who put a move on Rea at Turn 4, before leading at Turn 1 a lap later, ahead of Leon Haslam. At Turn 14 on the same lap, Rea lunged ahead of Haslam, as the five-time WorldSBK race winner began to fade away. The number 91 then suffered a collision with Marco Melandri as the Italian tried an audacious pass into Turn 2. Both stayed upright but it allowed Razgatlioglu and Rea to break away.
It was another race to forget for Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), from a weekend that looked to show so much promise after Saturday. The German crashed once more but re-joined the race.
With 12 laps left to go, the race was far from decided, with two separate battles: Razgatlioglu defended at the front from Jonathan Rea, whilst Leon Haslam held on to third ahead of Marco Melandri, as Alex Lowes began to claw time back on the battling duo ahead of him. Meanwhile, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) was lapping half-a-second a lap quicker than those ahead of him.
Three laps to go and it was another disaster for the GRT Yamaha squad, as Marco Melandri crashed at Turn 8, as grip deteriorated with rising track temperatures. Melandri’s crash promoted Bautista into the points. A lap later, and the battle for the race win had calmed, as Rea made a mistake at Turn 10, momentarily letting Razgatlioglu off the hook.
The final four laps was when Jonathan Rea made his move out front, taking the lead at Turn 1. It was a heart-in-mouth moment for Razgatlioglu at Turn 4 however, as he came within millimetres of hitting the rear of Rea, with his rear wheel in the air. The fight was far from done, as the 22-year-old Turkish rider stayed glued to the rear end of Rea.
The final lap beckoned, and it was going to be a head-to-head between the young pretender and the four-time WorldSBK Champion. Razgatlioglu tried at Turn 4 but thought better of it, waiting until Turn 8 to make his move. Toprak ran wide, with Rea slicing back ahead and the gloves were really off. As the lap came to a close, Rea defended superbly and despite Razgatlioglu bouncing up the rear wheel of Rea at the final corner, he couldn’t get the better of the reigning-quadruple WorldSBK Champion. Rea took the win ahead of the Turkish star, to take a 75th WorldSBK win and become the highest point-scorer of all time. Third place went to Leon Haslam, ahead of Lowes and Michael Ruben Rinaldi.
Sixth went to Tom Sykes ahead of Chaz Davies, whilst Michele Pirro (BARNI Racing Team), Lorenzo Zanetti (Team Goeleven) and Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) completed the top ten, in a frantic, feisty end to Race 2.
The championship gap is down to 16 between Bautista and Rea at the top, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu moved into the top Independent slot in the championship, with his best ride of his WorldSBK career.
P1 - Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK -"Toprak did an incredible job! Congratulation to him and his team I had to wait because I had to conserve the tyres and even with that, in the end, I was struggling a bit, and I could see that he was struggling as well on the front, trying to closing the lines. I'd just kept pushing because that 25 points were important but the conditions today compared to the rest of the weekend were difficult. It was very slippery out there, so I tried my best to minimize the risk and take the maximum. This was a really good race, and now I am looking forward to Donington".
Race 2 - Complete Results Here
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) +0.381
3. Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +5.880
Sara Shoots with a new Mule XR1000 Street Tracker for FastDates.com
May 2nd, 2019 - We were excited to have legendary FastDates.com Calendar Bike Builder Richard Pollock(below) / MuleMotorcycles.net back in our studio this month with beautiful Calendar Kitten Sara Balint, to shoot two of Richard's latest builds that he was taking up to the Quail Motorcycle gathering in Monterey, CA. Our favorite of the bikes is this 1983 Harley-Davidson XR1000 which only keeps its origional frame and engine. It received the full Mule Street Tracker treatment with new suspension, brakes and wheels, and dirt track style seat assembly and a beautiful aluminum fuel tank. Look for a full feature on thios XR1000 with more photos of the bike and Sara with details in the Calendar Bike Garage in Member's Corner.
Alvara Bautista's Race Winning Ducati Corse V4RS19 SBK World Superbike
Details and Screen Saver Size Photos in Pit Lane New BIkes/ Ducati
Aprilia RSV4 X 2019 Limited Edition 1100cc Superbike
April 24th, 2019 - Just as the new Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory is starting to win in comparison tests arranged by the world's leading motorcycle magazines, thus reaffirming a long-standing technical superiority, Aprilia RSV4 X, the commemorative version built to celebrate ten years since the birth of the first model, sells out in a matter of hours.
Exclusively unveiled on 23 March at the Mugello circuit during Aprilia All Stars, the Aprilia-branded party that saw the participation of more than 10,000 motorcycle enthusiasts, Aprilia RSV4 X is developed by Aprilia Racing around the base of the RSV4 1100 Factory and produced in a limited run of just ten units. Note that this is a non-strret legal / track only bikes, and with its 1100cc displacement is not eligible for Superbike class racing where 4-cylinder engine displacement is limited to 1000cc.
Once online booking opened on factoryworks.aprilia.com, it was only a few hours before this jewel of Italian racing production sold out, a bike dedicated exclusively to the track and offered at a price of 39,900 Euro. The ten lucky buyers will collect their bikes directly from Aprilia Racing, the racing department in Noale opening its doors especially for the occasion.
The department's racing experience has been fully harnessed in order to lighten the Aprilia RSV4 X and achieve an exceptional dry weight of 165 kg. Aprilia Racing has selected a series of refined, lightweight components, such as the carbon fairing - enhanced with special dedicated graphics inspired by the livery of the 2019 MotoGP Aprilia RS-GP - as well as a more lightweight tank. Another obvious sports-derived element is the racing panel via which to adjust the main electronic controls of the RSV4 X. There are numerous billet aluminium details, such as the clutch lever, the front brake lever guard, the engine sump guards, the adjustable foot pegs and the upper steering plate, important details that make for a further weight saving. Marchesini forged magnesium wheels magnify the already spectacular handling of the RSV4 and mount Pirelli slick tyres.
The inimitable 1100 cc V4 engine is prepared directly by Aprilia Racing, the most advanced Piaggio Group platform for the development of technology applied first to racing bikes and then to factory models. This special preparation involves hand assembly and the subsequent fine-tuning of all tolerances, just as is done for competition engines. The distribution system is also overhauled, with the adoption of new intake camshafts, new valve return springs and caps, as well as brand-new rounded bucket tappets that, all sizes being equal, allow for the use of more aggressive, SBK-derived cam profiles.
The Akrapovic exhaust system features titanium collectors and a carbon outlet, while the air filter has been replaced with a Sprint Filter element, specifically the air filter that offers the highest permeability of those available on the market (as well as being waterproof), the same unit that Aprilia Racing uses in MotoGP. Electronic tuning is guaranteed by a specific ECU mapping, with dedicated track settings. These components ensure an increase in maximum power, from an already excellent 217 HP for the standard model, to the impressive 225 HP of the RSV4 X. The Aprilia V4 is equipped with the ANN system (Aprilia No Neutral), the gearbox with neutral positioned below first gear that speeds up shifting from first to second and prevents any up-shifting errors. A solution that derives directly from Aprilia's experience in SBK and MotoGP and that is made available on a model on public sale for the very first time.
Another world first comes in the shape of the Brembo braking system, the firm having selected the Aprilia RSV4 X for the debut of its sophisticated and extremely efficient GP4-MS billet callipers that act on a pair of steel discs with T-Drive technology and are controlled by a 19x16 billet radial pump.
Aprilia RSV4 X is part of the Factory Works programme launched by Aprilia Racing: unique in the world, it takes the technology developed for the Aprilia RSV4, a seven-time Superbike world champion, and makes it available to those planning to compete at high level in production-derived championships or who want a RSV4 with performance optimised for track-use.
Biaggi’s parade lap astride his 1995 world championship RS 250, the sensational race with all the riders astride Aprilia SR 150 scooters, won in the final stretch by Manuel Poggiali and the display in pit lane of the bikes that have written Aprilia racing history filled an extraordinary day on which the public of Aprilia fans were protagonists. Participants ranged from those who are simply fans of the Italian brand, filling the grandstands and paddock that was livened up by music and games to the hundreds of fans in the Bearacer community who were able to meet the riders and share in a day of celebration with the entire team. And at the end, there was a spectacular parade of Aprilia bikes that invaded the circuit, the same track where the bikes from Noale, the most victorious bikes on the Tuscan hillside, have triumphed no less than 23 times in World GP races.
2018-19 Progressive Insurance
International Motorcycle Shows
Long Beach, CA - Nov 16-20th 2018 -The annual UBM AMERICAS Progressive Insurance sponsored (IMS) International Motorcycle Show makes its way across America every winter, with 3-day weekend stops in every major city. It's the perfect time for motorcycle enthusiasts to come in from the cold and see the latest new 2017 bike offerings from all the major motorcycle manufacturers and fill out your Christmas wish list.
With much of the the motorcycle industry and media based in Southern California, we like to think the Los Angeles stop at the Long Beach Convention Center, is the best IMS weekend to get together with our motor head industry friends, celebrity builders and racers, and even some of the FastDates.com Calendar Kittens working the bike displays for the top manufacturers.
Motorcycles and bad boys, look out girls, it's a road paved to hell....
Fast Dates goes to World Ducati Week 2018!! By Jim Gianatsis and Elia Mirashi
photos by Jim Gianatsis, Ducati Communications Dept. - Click on any Photo to Enlarge it
The Adriatic Coast and Misano World Circuit, Italy, July 20-22nd 2018 - What better way for a hard core Ducatista to spend their summer vacation than attending the 10th edition of World Ducati week for 2018 at Misano Adriatico on the north east coast of Italy at the famous race circuit Marco Simoncelli. This was my 3rd visit to a World Ducati event weekend which normally takes place every 2 years, having last attended when the event was less well known back in 2004 and then in 2012 when it had really grown. Needless to say, this year's 2018 event was even bigger and offered up more activities and sights than you could handle during the expanded 3 day weekend. Making it even more enjoyable, i always fly in a few days early from my home in Los Angeles to Ducati's home in nearby Bologna, Italy, to tour the factory, its museum, its factory retail store for bikes and official apparel, and now a cool American 1960's diner restaurant named Cafe America with a full menu of American burgers, diner food classics and drinks.
Ducati invoted a few of it closest friends which this year included MotoGP race winners Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso, superbike riders Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri, along with legendary retired riders included Casey Stoner and Troy Bayliss, to meet with fans and put on display races. On Friday the riders took to the track for a few exhibition laps on their race bikes. Then on Saturday they returned to the Misano track for a 12 lap race on the new production Panigale V4S Superbikes in the "Race of Champions".
We have the Winners! The 2018 Rider RoundUp at the Ranch
& Calendar Bike Building Championship Sunday Oct 7th 2018
The 2018 LA Calendar Motorcycle Show continues its now 28-year tradition as one of the premier outdoor custom street motorcycle events in America now in partnership with the Rider RoundUp at the Ranch & Calendar Bike Building Championship taking place on Sunday October 7th 2018 in the Western Town movie set at Paramount State Park, Agoura, CA, produced by Calendar Bike Builder Russell Mitchell / Exile Cycles and Jim Gianatsis / FastDates.com. Featuring top Celebrity Custom Bikes & Builders, selected Vendors and Exhibitors, Live Music performances. And the world premier of next year's new 2019 FastDates.com Motorcycle PinUp Calendars featuring the world's top Sport and Custom Motorcycles with the beautiful Calendar Kittens in attendance at the Show. Select Builders and their Bikes will be invited to be photographed by producer Jim Gianatsis for the next FastDates.com Calendars. More Information on our Bike Show Page
2017 Calendar Bike Show Winner
Now in the FastDates.com Calendar Bike Garage!
Mike LaFountain's 2016 LA Calendar Bike Show class winning 1967 Kawasaki W1 Cafe Racer with SBK Fast Dates World Superbike Calendar Kitten Jessica Harbour in Big Screen Saver Size Pictures and bike details - http://www.FastDates.com/IronLaceGarage.HTM
Now in the Calendar Bike Garage!
Winston Yeh's exciting new MV Agusta "Ballastic" Custom with Calendar Kitten Jillian Janson with complete Build Details and a Large Screen Size Photo Gallery. - http://www.FastDates.com/IronLaceGarage.HTM
We're Back! Riding Edelweiss Motorcycle Tour - From Paris to Omaha, France
Versailles, France, August 2016 - How we spent our summer vacation! On the exciting Edelweiss Bike Travel 2016 Paris to Omaha Beach 10-day motorcycle tour across western France visiting the histroric battle sites of World War II where editor Jim Ginatsis father, B26 bomber pilot Capt. James Gianatsi played a pivital role in te D-say invasion and liberating France. We rode 2-up two-up with awesome FastDates.com SBK World Superbike Calendar Kitten Kaustin "Kaussie" Rose in a story for the FastDates.com Website. Our bike of choice would be the newly introduced BMW R 1000 XR Sport Tourer, based on the potent BMW R 1000 RR Superbike. For the Complete Story Click on the Photos or Check Out the Complete Story Here
Fast Dates Calendar Celebrates 22 years of SBK World Superbike in America
with 2018 Fast Dates Calendar SBK Umbrella Kittens Kaustin & Alissa at
Laguna Seca World Superbike and the LA Calendar Motorcycle Show
By Jim Gianatsis Photos by Jim Gianatsis • Clink on any Photo to Enlarge It
California, USA, July 17-20th 2016 - For the 22nd year since SBK World Superbike first came to America at Laguna Seca Raceway in 1995, the FastDates.com Calendars and myself, producer / photographer Jim Gianatsis were excited to continue
our ongoing association with SBK World Superbike and the UmbrellaGirlsUSA.com to bring 2 more beautiful FastDates.com Calendar Kittens; Kaustin Lanae and Alissa Bourne to shoot with me at the 2016 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca United States SBK World Superbike and AMA National race weekend July 8-10th. There they served as the official SBK Podium Girls and helped me shoot the next Fast Dates World & AMA Superbike Calendar. Then, two weekends later the Kittens would work the
26th annual LA Calendar Motorcycle Show and Calendar shoot in Los Angeles on July 23-24th. CONTINUED HERE
Now in the Calendar Bike Garage... The World's Coolest Naked Ducati!
Beauitful FastDates.com Calendar Kitten Sara takes us for a ride on the world's most exotic and expensive Ducati streetbike
ever - a $110,000 Vyrus NCR 983 Superleggera in the Calendar Bike Garage and in Members Corner.
Now in the FastDates.com Calendar Bike Garage!
David Beckham's Amazon Triumph Scrambler build by legenday Calendar Bike Builder Rickard Pollock / Mule Motorcycles, photographed with Calendar Kitten and Penthouse Pet Aleska in BIG full screen saver size photos.
Now in the Calendar Bike Garage... Samuel Kao's Calendar Bike Show class winning BMW R 90T Bar Hopper with beauitful FastDates.com SBK World Superbike Calendar Kitten Sara featured in the Calendar Bike Garage / Members Corner and in the new 2016 Iron & Lace Calendar
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Marco Melandri Announces his Retirement
July 9th 2019 - GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Marco Melandri, has announced that he intends to retire from racing immediately after the final round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship in Qatar. The 36-year-old Italian's decision to hang up his leathers will bring to a close a World Championship career that has spanned three decades.
15-year-old Melandri burst onto the world stage in 1998 and immediately made his mark, taking his first win at Assen to become the youngest ever Grand Prix winner, a record that stood for 10 years. He went on to win once more that year and ended his debut Grand Prix season third in the World Championship. The following season Melandri won five races but missed out on being crowned 125cc World Champion by just a single point.
More success came with a step up to the 250cc World Championship. Melandri dominated the class in 2002, taking nine race wins on his way to being crowned 250cc World Champion. A move to the premier class followed, with Melandri's most successful MotoGP season coming in 2005 when he won the final two races and finished second in the World Championship to Valentino Rossi.
In 2011 Melandri made the switch from MotoGP to WorldSBK, winning four races in his first season aboard Yamaha's YZF-R1 to finish the year as vice-champion. Since making his debut in the premier production class, the Italian has secured 75 podium finishes, 22 of which were race wins, making him one of the most successful riders on the WorldSBK grid.
And while these results are already impressive, Melandri is determined to add to them before finally hanging up his leathers in Qatar and bringing to a close an incredible racing career.
"The decision to retire was a very difficult one for me to make. I'd been thinking about it for some time and, before the Imola race, I finally decided to call it a day at the end of the 2019 season. I'm still competitive and I think it's better to stop at this point, while I still enjoy racing, rather than waiting until the enjoyment and the results are more difficult to achieve.
Since making the decision I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders and now that everyone knows this is my final year, I'm even more motivated to push for good results in the final few races. In part it's for me, as I'd like to go out on a high, but it's also to repay the faith that both Yamaha and the GRT Yamaha team have shown in me.
It's been a difficult season, but they have worked so hard to help me realise my potential. They never gave up on me and I hope that my experience has helped the team adapt to racing in WorldSBK just that little bit quicker. I'm looking forward to seeing out my final season with them and I intend to give it my all, treating every lap like a qualifying lap and pushing to improve myself and bring the team the results they deserve. Then it will be time to move on and do something different with my life.
For me it's been a fantastic journey; thank you to everyone I met along the way." - Marco Melandri
An Unfair Advantage?
Álvaro Bautista and the new Ducati V4RS
In previous years the Ducati V-twin always enjoyed somewhat of an advantage over the 4-cylinder bikes with 200cc more displacement and a broader power band to accelerate better out of the turns without destroying the rear tire. Plus Ducati always had great riders.
But remember with the outgoing Generation 5 V2 Panigale 1199 and the bike's first year 2014 in World Superbike, Ducati choose to concentrated all their budget on MotoGP with Rossi and turned the SBK team over to Althea that year with an undeveloped race bike and no factory race parts available (cams, pistons, etc). And everyone was up against the new 1000cc V4 Aprilia which won the Championship that year in the hands of Sylvain Guintoli, foreshadowing the advantage of a V4 engine.
The Italian Flammini brothers still ran the Championship that year an even invited Althea to upgrade the new 1199 Panigale with non homologated parts to try and keep up with Aprilias and Kawasakis, but there just were not any performance parts available from Ducati. And it would be another year after Ducati brought their SBK race team back in-house before they had the performance parts to compete against then then dominate factory Kawasaki and Jonathan Rae and Tom Sykes. The Paniagle V-twin's final 2018 season showed the Panigale V2 and Marco Melandri Chaz Davies had the ability to run with the Kawasaki ZX10R, but Chaz just couldn't match Rea's robotic consistency.
The new 2018 retail price cap for of USD $40,000 for the street version of a homologation Superbike, sounds like a good idea, but the allowable modification rules in SBK with complete changes in suspension, brakes, swingarm, modified gas tanks, bodywork, internal engine parts, electronics, means a competitive Superbike still costs close to USD $100,000 like the factory Ducati V4RS. If the price cap is to be realistic, WSBK class needs adopt the more production based Supersport rule book.
Homologation production numbers for Supersport spec Superbikes are fine at 500 examples, if only because all motorcycle manufacturers have seen their superbike sales drop significantly since the 2008 recession, and many manufacturers would struggle to meet any higher number.
Ducati has the potential to enjoy WSBK domination with their new V4RS because their engine is based on their MotoGP bike which is the most powerful motor in the GP paddock and has the potential to reach 18,000rpm and 280hp quite easily with its production desmodromic valve system. Where as the other Manufacturers are limited to about 16,000rpm and 240hp with our going to pneumatic valves like in their MotoGP bikes, not practical for a street based bike.
Now that all the manufacturers in WSK are running the save 1000cc displacement with 4-cylinder engines, the best way to balance the power between different manufacturers bikes is with varying RPM limits based on race finishes. However, this equalization formula will remain flawed as long as both WSBK and MotoGP do not factor and equalize the rider's body weight with their bike's weight. Just as Formula 1 factors their drivers and cars together, where the weight difference is far less significant with a 4-times heavier car.
In WSBK where we have a winning rider like Alvara Bautista probably weighing 30-40 pounds less than Chaz Davies on the same Ducati V4RS bike who can't get it to work, and a taller rider like Leon Camier on the Honda, both of whom have a hard time qualifying into top 10, the rider's weight is more a factor than anything else. Until the FIM imposes weight balances for the riders and their bikes, any type of performance balance between the different brands of bikes with varying RPM limits is an unfair factor.
- Jim Gianatsis, Editor
Ducati Corse
World Superbikes
by Alan Cathcart
& Jim Gianatsis
The Official SBK
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1987-2012
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2017-2018 Yearbook These SBK Yearbooks are the Best Books Ever about World Superbike. They feature wesome color photography of the riders, bike and racing action. The feature a deailed revue of the past season in pictures and stactics, awith a detailed look at the bikes and riders.
Plus a technical look data all the bikes, a preview of the upcoming season's Championship!
We buy this every year ourselves and highly recommend it!
The Official SBK
2016-2017 Yearbook
The Official SBK
2015-2016 Yearbook
2014-2015 Yearbook
SBK World Superbike Video Game
Indonesia to host WorldSBK in 2021
Lombok prepares to welcome the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and MotoGP™
Feb 21st, 2019 - ITDC, Indonesia’s largest integrated tourism developer and operator, and Dorna Sports SL are delighted to announce that the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship will be racing in Indonesia in 2021.
The signing of the agreement was conducted by Mr Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of DORNA and Mr Abdulbar M. Mansoer, CEO of ITDC at DORNA’s headquarter in Madrid, Spain on the 28th January 2019, in front of Senior Management team of both parties and witnessed by Indonesian's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Spain, Drs. Hermono M.A.
The agreement confirms that Indonesia will welcome the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and MotoGP™ in 2021 to the island of Lombok, more specifically within the Mandalika, which is a large-scale integrated Tourism Estate.
Delighted to welcome the most famous production-based motorcycle series and MotoGP™ in Indonesia, CEO of ITDC, Mr. Abdulbar M. Mansoer said: “We are very excited to have partnered up with DORNA and are delighted to be able to bring world-class motorsport events to Indonesia and the Mandalika in Lombok together.”
Dorna Sports SL CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta commented: “What a unique project this will be, having an urban, world class circuit in a country where MotoGP™ has such a huge following. Indonesia is a key market for us with a considerable percentage of motorsport fans living here and the MotoGP™ atmosphere will be even stronger once the circuit is complete. Also, by including Lombok to the WorldSBK calendar makes this offer more attractive for local fans having two World Class events in the area during the year.”
The Devil Made Us Do It!
Testing the Ducati Diavel in Italy
New BMW HP4 Superbike
High Speed - the Movie
The best motorcycle racing movie ever made! Filmed on location at the World Superbike races , this an exciting romantic drama staring beautiful British actress Sienna Miller.
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2019 MotoGP
Season Preview Click Date for Race Report
DATE/REPORT TRACK LINK Mar 10 Qatar, Losail
Mar 31 Argentina, Rio
Apr 14 America, Austin TX
May 5 Spain, Jerez
May 19 France, Le Mans
Jun 2 Italy, Mugello
Jun 16 Spain, Catalunya
Jun 30 Netherlands, Assen
July 07 Germany Sachenring
Aug 04 Czech Rep, Brno
Aug 11 Austrian, Red Bull
Aug 25 UK, Silverstone
Sept 15 San Marino, Misano
Sept 22 Aragon Motorland
Oct 6 Thailand, Chang
Oct 20 Japan, Motegi
Oct 27 Australia, Phillip Is
Nov 3 Malaysia, Sepang
Nov 17 Spain, Ricardo
2018 British Superbike DATE/REPORT TRACK LINK
Apr 31-2 Donnington
April 13-15 Brands Hatch
May 5-7 Oulton Park
June 15-17 Snetterton
July 6-8 Knockhill
July 20-22 Brands Hatch
Aug 3-5 Thruxton
Aug 17-19 Cadwell Park
Sept 7-9 Silverstone GP
Sept 14-16 Oulton Park
Sept 28-30 Assen NL
Oct 12-14 Brands Hatch
2019 MotoAmerica DATE/REPORT TRACK LINK
April 5-7 Road Atlanta GA
April 12-14 Circuit Am TX
May 4-5 VIR VA
June 1-2 Road Am, WI
June 15-16
Utah Motor UT
July 12-14 LagunaSeca CA
Aug 10-11 Sanoma CA
Aug 23-25 Pittsburg PA
Sept 7-8 Jersey MotorSp
Sept 20-22 Barber, AL
Roadracing
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MotoGP Performance Riding New 2nd Edition! Official MotoGP book, the second edition of this practical guide to motorcycle racing technique, aimed at racing and track day enthusiasts at all levels, has been expanded to include extra information as well as many new photographs and up-to-date quotes from MotoGP stars
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MotoAmerica 2019:
10 Rounds On Tap
For New Season Season Five Of MotoAmerica In Place For Next Year
MotoAmerica has announced its calendar for the 2019 MotoAmerica Series with the 10-round championship set to continue its trend of building the race series through consistency of both location and dates while also tweaking a few things along the way, including the introduction of four two-day events in place of the traditional three-day events.
“We’re happy with our schedule as we enter the fifth year of the MotoAmerica Series,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “I think having the same events return on dates that are the same or very similar to years past brings more stability to the series. Our fans can start to really plan for our events, year to year, based on the consistency of our dates and our racetracks. We are also introducing four two-day events to the schedule in an effort to tighten things up a bit and I’m looking forward to seeing how those evolve. We believe some of our racetracks might do better with a two-day program while others obviously work well for a three-day program because of the number of our fans who go to those events to camp. We only just finished year four and we’re already looking forward to getting to Road Atlanta in April.”
As previously announced, the MotoAmerica Series, which features the Motul Superbike Championship as its headline class, will begin again at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, April 5-7, before heading to Austin, Texas, and the Circuit of The Americas for round two, April 12-14. As has been the case since the series made its debut in 2015, the COTA round will be held in conjunction with the Grand Prix of The Americas. The COTA round is also a Motul Superbike-only round.
From Texas the series will head east to VIRginia International Raceway, May 4-5, for the Championship of Virginia and the first of four two-day events on the schedule. Road America will play host to round four on its traditional date of the first weekend in June, May 31-June 2, followed a few weeks later by the two-day Utah Motorsports Campus round on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, June 15-16. The big change for the UMC round is that MotoAmerica will use the shorter East Course (2.2 miles) rather than the Outer Course (3.048 miles) the series has used in previous years.
“We believe the shorter East Course will provide better viewing for spectators at the Club House and in the paddock area because you can see the entire track,” MotoAmerica Partner Chuck Aksland said. “This will definitely enhance the spectator experience.”
MotoAmerica will venture to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, July 12-14, for what promises to be a weekend to remember with the Monterey Motorcycle Festival featuring MotoAmerica. For the first time in its five-year history of racing on the Monterey Peninsula, MotoAmerica will be a standalone event at the historic racetrack with the weekend to include racing legends, celebrities, vintage racing exhibitions, and a classic motorcycle auction.
“We are pleased to be heading to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for a fifth year,” said Rainey. “Since I make my home here, it’s obviously one of my favorites but it is also one of the most popular events on the calendar. We have big plans to make this year’s event a memorable one with a weekend chock-full of activities for our fans.”
The series then takes a one-month summer break before setting up camp at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, for a two-day event, August 10-11.
The premier motorcycle road racing championship in the country then heads back east for the final three rounds, beginning at Pittsburgh International Raceway Complex, August 23-25, followed by the two-day New Jersey Motorsports Park round, September 7-8.
The series finale, meanwhile, will again take place at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, September 20-22.
2019 MotoAmerica Series (Provisional)
April 5-7 – Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia
April 12-14 – Circuit of The Americas, Austin, Texas
May 4-5 – VIRginia International Raceway, Alton, Virginia
May 31-June 2 – Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
June 15-16 – Utah Motosports Campus, Grantsville, Utah
July 12-14 – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California
August 10-11 – Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, California
August 23-25 – Pittsburgh International Race Complex, Wampum, Pennsylvania
September 7-8 – New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, New Jersey
September 20-22 – Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama
