We are at round eight of the 2016 FIM World Superbike Championship, the races at Riviera di Rimini. Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, has been on the World Superbike calendar, since 1991. Back then, in the early '90s, the track was counterclockwise and now, it is clockwise. Can anyone in the field stop Jonathan Rea? We'll find out, at Riviera di Rimini... next!
This 2.6 mile speedway was first built in 1972. This is a one groove race track for the first six or so corners. But, by the time the riders reach La Quercia, turn eight, multiple racing lines are available. Watch for halfway around the lap into the right hand corner called Curvone. This one, is a heart stopper. It is corner number eleven on the track. We are on the Adriatic coast of Italy, straight across the sea from Croatia. There's your geography lesson for this race, folks. Current weather conditions look like this. 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Six mile per hour winds blowing to the north. This is the second visit by World Superbike, to Italy, this year. Recall we were at Imola, earlier on in the year.
We are expecting a four way scrap, between the two Kawasaki's of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes, and the two Ducati's of Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano. Tire management will be a key factor in this first race. However, Davies and Giugliano will start in the latter half of the top ten, in seventh and ninth overall. Many MotoGP riders are here, to watch their 2 wheeled brethren who race in World Superbike. Sam Lowes is one, who is here, to watch his brother Alex Lowes, race for Yamaha. Alex Lowes is expecting to perform well here at Misano this weekend.
The only issues for Yamaha still seem to be a lack of horsepower, and thus, a lack of acceleration. Jonathan Rea leads the points standings right now, and is second on the grid. Rea has a pattern of the Italian flag, the tricolore, on his racing boots for this weekend. Rea comes in as the favorite for this race, as we've seen good one lap pace from Tom Sykes. Ducati has been struggling in their second home race, as Davide Giugliano crashed during Super Pole. Chaz Davies, has the pace to go up through the field. However, he will have to make that climb and see if he can challenge the green machines from Kawasaki Racing Team.
Who will make their tires last for 21 laps? That is the scheduled race distance for this one. Sykes has to hit the front early, and block any chances of Rea being able to race with him in a head to head fight. How will the tires hold up? There was a new track surfaced laid down at Misano before the 2015 races. However, in a year's time, the pavement has become a lot more abrasive. Xavi Fores has earned his second career front row start. He was filling in for Davide Giugliano last year in Qatar and didn't start one of the races, after becoming ill. Fores is really hoping to be on the factory Aruba Ducati, next year.
Davide Giugliano is under a lot of pressure to perform, especially with his fellow Ducati rider's wanting that factory race seat, including Xavi Fores and Lorenzo Savadori. Chaz Davies will keep his spot at Ducati. But, who will his team mate be, in 2017? The silly season is in full swing, here in World Superbike. Giugliano needs to improve, get podiums, and win races. Otherwise, it will be hard for Ducati to justify having him on what has to be the best motorcycle on the grid. They'll ask, "are you doing enough, for us, to believe we should keep you on this team?', or something to that extent.
Yamaha has been running well with their tires, but need more performance from the World Superbike spec engine. Pit lane is now open. As far as the performance level of these motorcycles, Yamaha is still trying to find where they need to be. Honda, on the other hand, they have taken a different approach. They said, let's not worry about testing on track so much, and put our financial resources, towards engine development. They are trying to bring the Fireblade motorcycle into the same performance ballpark with the Kawasaki's and Ducati's, both of which have been so dominant this season already. Yamaha, Honda, and MV Agusta, these three brands, have been closing the gap up in performance.
Let us not forget BMW. They, too, have had consistent performance this year. Most of the riders and bikes are forming up on the grid for the start of race one. Tom Sykes has his sixth pole of 2016, and the 36th of his career. He is inching closer, to tying the record. He is seven away, from Troy Corser's mark of 43 poles. This is Sykes' fifth straight pole here at Misano. He's had pole here in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and this year. No races were held here in 2013. We are mourning the loss, of another great motorcycle racer, as shown on Davide Giugliano's helmet. His helmet is a replica of one worn by Italian motocross turned Superbike racer Fabrizio Pirovano.
Pirovano passed away, from an incurable tumor, the Sunday before this race took place. Pirovano started 182 races in his career. Pirovano was also a circuit racer, winning the FIM World Supersport championship in 1998. Pirovano won four championships in Italian Superbike, including three straight. He won in 1990, '92, '93, and '94. He was known as "the small man on the big Yam", having ridden for Yamaha. Fabrizio Pirovano raced against guys like Davide Tardozzi, Fred Merkel, and others. Fabrizio Pirovano was the first guy to be a racing star in World Superbike. Rest In Peace, Fabrizio Pirovano. You will be remembered. You will be missed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabrizio_Pirovano
Tom Sykes, wins yet another Tissot watch for his pole! OK. My question is, how many time zones actually exist? Sykes has enough of those watches, where he could set each one, for each individual time zone, across the globe, kind of like Greenwich, England. Chaz Davies has another Pirelli Best Lap Leader award. Both of the Laverty brothers (Michael and Eugene) are here, to help Chaz Davies out this weekend. Eugene Laverty has done very well with the Aspar bike in MotoGP. It is hard to explain to MotoGP fans, just how viable World Superbike is. You have people like Eugene Laverty, and Cal Crutchlow, who have raced, in both championships. That is why, when yours truly, writes about these motorcycle races, attention is fully paid, to both of the championships, equally.
MotoGP and WSBK both have great attributes, and both provide awesome racing. We've got the Kawasaki's 1-2. Xavi Fores is third. Chaz Davies starts ninth. Alex Lowes is fourth on the second row. Lorenzo Savadori completes the top five. Nicky Hayden is sixth. Davide Giugliano is seventh. World Ducati week, happened almost three weeks ago, but, it was here, at Misano, from July 1st through 3rd. Leon Camier is eight on the MV Agusta. Michael van der Mark completes the top ten.
In Super Pole, Chaz Davies, didn't wreck. He was coasting slowly and tried to get a decent lap. But, it didn't work.
There are Dutch fans here in Italy to see Michael van der Mark. Markus Reiterberger was a wildcard in WSBK here at Misano, last year. Reiterberger rolls off from 11th on his BMW. Anthony West, matches the number on his motorcycle, insofar as where he's starting on this grid. He's been on a ton of motorcycles in 2016 already, riding a Yamaha R6 in World Supersport, CEV Repsol on a Moto2 machine, the Moto2 Asia championship, the Pedercini Kawasaki ZX10R here in WSBK... well, he's been on many motorcycles, so far this year. Jordi Torres is 12th on the sister Althea BMW S1000RR. 15th on the grid is Niccolo Canepa on the Yamaha YZF R1.
Canepa is going to ride for two rounds, covering for Sylvain Guintoli. Last year, Canepa raced with EBR, the Grillini Kawasaki, and the Althea Ducati, before that team switched brands to BMW for this year. Yamaha just won an endurance race, recently. The Portimao 12 Hours in Portugal, saw Niccolo Canepa, teamed up with Luca Mahias and David Checa. They won by a mere 81 thousandths of a second! Roman Ramos starts 14th. Ramos has his stuffed animal buddy with him. It is a platypus he calls Perry the platypus. His team mate in World Supersport, Christian Gammarino, has a birthday. So, Happy Birthday, Christian.
Josh Brookes starts 16th. He drives a motor home between the European WSBK races. 17th on the grid, is Fabio Menghi. We've been waiting for a long, long time, to see him race, after his injuries earlier in the year. Menghi finished sixth in the World Supersport race here at Misano, last year. Next on the grid is Dominic Schmitter. Schmitter also ran in the Supersport category, last year. Poor old Karel Abraham on the Milwaukee BMW is trapped in 19th place on the grid. Milwaukee BMW has had issues with electronics and traction control on the motorcycle, all season.
The Alfa Romeo 4C safety car, pulls away from the grid. Peter Sebestyen starts 20th. Tire choice for this race, fully dictated of course, by rider preference, and what they think will last the race distance. Rea, Davies, and Sykes, are all using the softest Pirelli rear tire available. Xavi Fores, Jonathan Rea, and yet another pole for Tom Sykes. That's the front row. 24 bikes start, with Alex De Angelis, caboose on the field. We are ready, to bring the action, at Misano in World Superbikes.
Since debuting on the schedule in 1991, when the track went in the opposite direction, Misano has hosted 46 WSBK races. 46 is a popular number in this part of the world, primarily because of our man, Valentino Rossi, in MotoGP. Misano... this, is Ducati's house! They've won 28 races here. No one else even comes close. Aprilia, another great Italian brand, has six wins. Kawasaki, has five wins. In the points table, Jonathan Rea now leads Tom Sykes, by 56 points, and Chaz Davies, is 62 behind. Rea has 293 total points accumulated thus far. Riders who have won the most races here, include legends Troy Bayliss with six, and Max Biaggi, with four. Tom Sykes, has three, and he's looking to tie Biaggi's number, or put himself between Biaggi and Bayliss for most wins at Misano.
If anyone will beat Jonathan Rea today, Chaz Davies, is the bloke with the race pace, to make it happen. The temperatures have cooled off and the wind has picked up, since we checked the weather on the grid. 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit), and the same track temperature at 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit). Two 21 lap races. We remember not just Fabrizio Pirovano, but Luis Salom as well. Jonathan Rea, on average, he is scoring 41 points per round in World Superbike this year, vying for the title.
Folks, we have a special guest commentator in the booth. Eugene Laverty, will help call this race along with regular WSBK commentator, Greg Haines and Steve English. Laverty points out, since it's getting so hot, the track will be slippery. We are ready to start race one at Misano. Red lights, on. Red lights, out! We're racing, at Misano! Jonathan Rea has a better start as Tom Sykes wheelies off the line. Alex Lowes has made a great start and look at Davide Giugliano, on the attack already! Oh no! There's a rider down already from the middle of the pack. Lorenzo Savadori falls off the Aprilia. Nicky Hayden was pushed out wide. The bikes hit the Rio corner for the first time. Jonathan Rea, leads.
But, Chaz Davies, was the big loser. He has fallen like a stone down to 22nd place. Turn two is a very tight corner, and you can't find an opening. Rea, Sykes, Giugliano, Hayden, and van der Mark, the top five as the riders negotiate the final corner at Carro. Anthony West has jumped from 13th on the grid, to seventh, already. Davide Giugliano is giving Tom Sykes all he can handle. Because of the abrasive track surface, the Pirelli tires are going to drop off in performance, very quickly. Chaz Davies is gaining ground and has made it to 15th place. Oh no! Giugliano, down. He's fallen off the Ducati!
Two laps in, and it is game over for Giugliano in race one! Not only that, but Nicky Hayden has also crashed! Giugliano was pushing too hard. Hayden has had a strong run all weekend, but it's game over for him, too. This puts his Honda team mate Michael van der Mark up to third and Alex Lowes on the Yamaha advances to fourth. It is more comfortable for the Kawasaki boys to set consistent lap times as shown by Jonathan Rea. He cuts the first fast lap of the race at 1:35.775. Settle in the first five laps of this race, and feel the bike out, because of the heat here at Misano. Chaz Davies is 12th. That incident, is over and done. He'll have to take his medicine and just claw his way back through the field.
Giugliano lost the front end of the bike, and that was to be expected, as the Ducati riders tend to carry a lot of lean angle. Jonathan Rea is slightly edging away from Tom Sykes. Michael van der Mark is pushing hard, and keeping in touch with Sykes. However, he may have to back it down, to save his tires. New fast lap as Sykes steals it from Rea. 1:35.683. We watch Alex Lowes on the Yamaha in fourth. He is one second away from gaining a podium place. He's catching Michael van der Mark. Jordi Torres on the Althea BMW is fifth. But behind Torres, there's a major train building up. Xavi Fores leads the group ahead of Anthony West, Niccolo Canepa, Markus Reiterberger, and Roman "The Platypus" Ramos.
Rea lowers fastest lap time by two thousandths of a second to 1:35.663. Torres flies through turn eight, La Quercia. Through the next turn at Tramonto, Chaz Davies is catching Roman Ramos hand over fist, and has caught him, wanting to pass. Rea ekes out a 6/10ths of a second gap on Tom Sykes and continues to smash the lap record. Working lap seven as Sykes is all over his team Rea like a rash. Another new lap record for Sykes. 1:35.507. Did Rea make a mistake someplace? Don't forget, Tom Sykes has not only won three of the last four races here at Misano, but also, three of the last four, in the 2016 season. Chaz Davies, meanwhile has climbed to ninth, passing Roman Ramos and Markus Reiterberger.
Michael van der Mark in third is half a second behind the Kawasaki team mates. Your points scoring runners in the top 15 look like this.
1. Jonathan Rea
2. Tom Sykes
3. Michael van der Mark
4. Alex Lowes
5. Jordi Torres
6. Xavi Fores
7. Anthony West
8. Niccolo Canepa
9. Chaz Davies
10. Markus Reiterberger
11. Roman Ramos
12. Leon Camier
13. Alex De Angelis
14. Josh Brookes
15. Dominic Schmitter
The tires are beginning to drop off at this time. Jordi Torres is the fastest BMW rider right now. The bike suits him. Chaz Davies has now passed both Reiterberger and Canepa, and he wants by Anthony West on the Pedercini Kawasaki. Davide Giugliano is still running, despite the broken fairing on his bike. He's grabbed a spot away from Dominic Schmitter. Thirteen laps remain now. It's a shame Davies is so far behind, because he could have been up at the sharp end, to duke it out with the Kawasaki boys. We watch the battle between Chaz Davies and Xavi Fores. Fores has the position, while Davies, wants it. The scrap is for sixth.
Davies gets around Fores. His next target is that pesky BMW of Jordi Torres. Alex Lowes is dropping down the order. He has taken his Yamaha off the road at turn four (Rio). Did he crash, or is there a mechanical concern with the Yamaha? Torres is fourth while Davies has cracked the top five. Tom Sykes is only a tenth away from Rea. Poor Alex Lowes is back on the bike, but has dropped down the order. His team mate Niccolo Canepa is ninth. Alex Lowes and Eugene Laverty were team mates in WSBK at Suzuki, before Laverty jumped across to race in MotoGP.
Michael van der Mark seems to be the fastest man on the speedway at this moment. We're halfway through this race, essentially. Michael van der Mark has not had a podium placing on the Honda since Assen in Holland, back in April. Interestingly enough, Jonathan Rea has not won a race since then, either. We are past halfway. Davies is running a 1:35.7. He's really pushing hard and has good pace, but needs to pass Jordi Torres, now. Davide Giugliano is 15th, but has to make up at least nine seconds in order to catch Alex De Angelis. Davide Giugliano has lost the fairing off his bike. Either it fell off or he just ripped it off it's mounting point.
Jonathan Rea holds a tighter line, while Tom Sykes can go anywhere. Chaz Davies has passed Jordi Torres. The Kawasaki's are running real well. Tom Sykes has a point and squirt riding style, where he points the motorcycle through the corners whereas Jonathan Rea, has a more flowing style in his riding. Michael van der Mark may be dropping his pace a shade, thinking Davies on the Ducati will catch him. Davies continues to run a strong pace. This might be a close race at the end. The race will be won or lost, in the last five laps. If Chaz Davies passes Michael van der Mark, (and this will sound outlandish), if the two blokes at Kawasaki should smash into each other and take each other out, Davies would have this race, in the bag.
I don't want to tempt fate, though. Personal best lap for Davies just set at 1:35.6, and that's quicker than the Kawasaki riders. What will Jonathan Rea have up his sleeve? Michael van der Mark is 3.5 seconds ahead of Chaz Davies right now. Rea runs wide and kicks up some dust in Misano corner. Down into La Quercia, can Sykes close on Rea? In the latter half of the top five it is still Jordi Torres on the BMW, Xavi Fores on the Barni Ducati, Reiterberger on the second BMW, Canepa, Camier, and West, who ride for Yamaha, MV Agusta, and Pedercini Kawasaki, respectively.
These riders are followed, to complete the top 15 by Josh Brookes, Alex De Angelis, Alex Lowes, and Davide Giugliano. Three laps to go now. Well, almost two laps. Xavi Fores is dropping, with technical issues. van der Mark is now 7/10ths faster than the two Kawasaki's who are playing cat and mouse. We have a new man in 15th, who will gain a point. That's Pawel Szkopek. Game over for Xavi Fores. The two factory Kawasaki riders may have to contend with the Grillini Kawasaki of Italian rider Gianluca Vizziello. Sykes has now caught Rea for the lead. Will he make a pass? The two Kawasaki's have been locked together.
This is a clean fight across the final lap here at Misano on the 4.2 kilometer (2.625 mile) layout. Rea has good traction all the way through La Quercia. Just a couple corners remain in race one of World Superbike at Misano. Into the Misano corner to finish this race, and... the Kawasaki's are side by side for the win! ...And... give it to... Rea!
World Superbike Race 1: #1 Jonathan Rea GBR. Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX10R
Sykes and van der Mark round out the podium. Chaz Davies makes it to fourth. 900ths of a second at the finish! Giugliano finishes 14th. The final points paying place in 15th goes to Pawel Szkopek, who was under attack from his Toth Yamaha team mate, Peter Sebestyen.
Race two, is on deck.
Jonathan Rea beat Tom Sykes by less than a tenth of a second. With Laguna Seca coming up, everyone wants to head to America, as a winner. Stay tuned for details on that next race when we are done covering race two here, at Misano. Can Rea do the double for the tenth time in his career?
Ducati wants to fight back after their bad race on Saturday. Althea BMW are close, but want to finish on the podium. Michael van der Mark made the podium, as the only Honda to finish. Weather conditions on Sunday look like this. 22 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Track temps continue an upward spiral as we prepare for the Sunday race at Misano on the Adriatic coast of Italy. This is the second 21 lap, 55 mile race of the weekend, equaling, oh, 90 kilometers or so.
Jonathan Rea, after yesterday's race, now has a 61 point advantage over Tom Sykes and in the constructors championship, we have Kawasaki leading Ducati by 65 points. Jonathan Rea wants to do ten doubles, which only three riders have done. In 1991 when this race debuted at Misano, Doug Polen, won, and he would go on to win the WSBK world championship in both 1991 and '92. Davide Giugliano's wreck from Saturday, was caused by the tires going off a little bit. The transition from hard braking, to getting back in the throttle, is where the Ducati struggles. We see Carmelo Ezpeleta, who is CEO of Dorna Sport, and he is overseeing things with the WSBK at Misano with the FIM, in Misano, this weekend.
This will be Tom Sykes' 200th race start. Did Tom Sykes give up, yesterday? That's what the motorcycle racing media is asking. The championship could be done and dusted now. Sykes has to beat Rea if he wants to win the title. He has to be aggressive. In a straight fight, Sykes will stay behind Rea. The psychological battle in the Kawasaki Racing Team, is very interesting. In a straight fight, Rea beat Sykes, fair and square. The Ducati is being regarded as the best bike in the field so far. Chaz Davies has done two doubles this year. But, remember, that yesterday, he had to really fight for it. Get laps in during Super Pole. Davies did not do that, and so, he was caught in a mid pack kerfuffle.
Pit lane is open and riders make their way onto the track for the warmup laps. Alex Lowes has been snookered again. He needs some luck in this second race. His plan is to have a conservative race and let the miles build up. No dramas. The sighting lap is now underway. Alex Lowes had collarbone surgery and this in turn caused him some arm pump issues. The Yamaha R1 has always been competitive. What Yamaha has seen in the IDM (the German Superbike championship), in British Superbike, and in MotoAmerica, is that the R1 is a competitive motorcycle. Still some work to do on the World Superbike version.
Lorenzo Savadori has had issues on the sighting lap, and thus, has been pushed by the Aprilia mechanics, to his grid spot. Let's hope Savadori can stay in his grid spot. Pit lane closes in less than 50 seconds. Xavi Fores, meanwhile, starts third. He is on the front row of the grid for just the second time in his career. Tom Sykes put the Pirelli best lap in in race one and gets that award. There is a cake ready for Tom Sykes, for his 200th race start celebration, with 200 candles on it! He's suspicious, for sure. He hopes to see the cake after the race. But, nevertheless, the team better be armed with fire extinguishers in the garage area, with all those candles!
Sykes made his debut in WSBK at age 22 at Brands Hatch in England, in 2008. Check out these stats. Sykes has the 2013 title, 30 wins, 75 podiums, 36 poles, 53 front row starts, and 30 fastest laps. He lost out in the championship to Max Biaggi and Sylvain Guintoli. Alex Lowes qualifies fourth. Jonathan Rea is second. Nicky Hayden starts sixth. Davide Giugliano is seventh. Leon Camier is eighth on the MV Agusta, with Chaz Davies, ninth. Michael van der Mark rounds out the top ten. Jordi Torres crashed in the morning warmup, in the rain. They had to repair the Althea BMW S1000RR.
What line will Chaz Davies take into the first corner? He's in the danger zone, coming from row three. He almost hit Alex Lowes, catching Lorenzo Savadori, who crashed. Nicky Hayden and others were also caught out. Markus Reiterberger and Jordi Torres on the Althea BMW's are 11th and 12th. Anthony West, #13, starts 13th. West finished race one on Saturday inside the top ten. Roman Ramos is 14th. Niccolo Canepa is 15th. If Chaz Davies can get into the top five, he'll have a shot for the win. Get to the front. Joshua Brookes is 16th. If Davies and Ducati want to win, they have to ruffle Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki's feathers a little bit.
Fabio Menghi is 17th, and it is good to see him back in action. Now, we have about half the season left, and anything can happen in this battle between Rea and Davies. We saw in 2002, the championship fight between Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards. In 2009 it was Ben Spies vs. Noriyuki Haga. Dominic Schmitter rolls off 18th. Karel Abraham is 19th. 20th is Peter Sebestyen. 21st is Saeed al Sulaiti. Has Tom Sykes made a decision on 2017? He doesn't have a manager, and deals with the business of SBK racing, himself. So, we'll soon find out, whether he has signed a new Kawasaki Racing Team contract.
Rumors swirl about Chaz Davies moving to MotoGP. But, Davies said he won't unless he is on a competitive bike with a competitive team, after racing in 125cc and 250cc competition earlier in his career. Gianluca Vizziello is 23rd. Back to Davies. We have seen riders like Loris Baz and Eugene Laverty, going to MotoGP, riding well, but fighting for points instead of podiums. Pawel Szkopek is 22nd on the grid. He scored points for Toth Yamaha in yesterday's race. Gianluca Vizziello has replaced Josh Hook on the Grillini Kawasaki.
Can Sykes beat Rea in race two at Misano? We know Kawasaki has pace. We know Chaz Davies has pace. Kawasaki has perhaps changed tactics. Their tires were almost worn yesterday after race one. Coming to the start of the race, we have an updated weather forecast.
Air temp: 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit)
Track temp: 41 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit)
Again, 21 laps ahead of us. What will happen? We're about to find out. We are racing, again, at Misano! Go! Jonathan Rea gets a good launch and here comes Alex Lowes, already, headed for the first turn. Lowes shoots up to second briefly before getting swamped by the two Kawasaki's. Sykes passes Jonathan Rea on the outside! Sykes has taken the lead! Xavi Fores passes Alex Lowes for third place. Sykes, Rea, Fores, Lowes, 1, 2, 3, 4. Davide Giugliano is fifth now. Chaz Davies runs behind the Honda of Michael van der Mark and the Aprilia of Lorenzo Savadori. Into La Quercia, a big wreck!
Markus Reiterberger runs up the back of Davies' Ducati, and is launched off his BMW! Ouch! Dear oh dear. Let's hope he's OK. Chaz Davies is moving up, and he was clipped by Reiterberger. It could have been a multiple bike incident. Reiterberger is on his feet and he should be OK. Michael van der Mark is looking to make a move on Xavi Fores. Sykes is now opening a lead on Rea as we watch a battle for the lower half of the top five between Alex Lowes, Davide Giugliano, and Fores. Oh no! Another wreck, and two top contenders, are out!
Chaz Davies, falls, and takes Michael van der Mark right with him! Holy mackerel! This is not the way to start a World Superbike race! How unlucky can one man be? It's the same part on the track where we saw Davide Giugliano fall in race one on Saturday. Davies was off line slightly, the front end of the motorcycle unloads, and it whips around in a 360 degree spin, catapulting the rider onto the pavement. Lowes slides the Yamaha, as Davies continues in the race. It may be game over for Davies. He'll have to bring the bike to pit lane.
Alex Lowes, with his mistake, is down to fifth, having been passed by Giugliano and Fores. Lorenzo Savadori may have a go at Lowes, too. Michael van der Mark, has actually rejoined the race. Tom Sykes has to stay in front of Jonathan Rea, because the gap will decrease to 56 points if it stays like this until the end of the race. Sykes leads on lap five. Jonathan Rea is waiting for his chance. Jordi Torres gets around Nicky Hayden for seventh spot. Other riders in the points paying positions include Leon Camier, Anthony West, Alex De Angelis, Niccolo Canepa, Josh Brookes, Roman Ramos, and Dominic Schmitter.
Currently, Alex Lowes seems to be faster than Xavi Fores. Lowes makes a mistake through Variante del Parco. Lorenzo Savadori makes the pass. Dominic Schmitter loses his 15th position, as Michael van der Mark, who is still in the race, takes it. Who will come out on top, in the battle between the factory Kawasaki's? Depending on the bike and how it is geared, take Curvone in fifth or sixth gear. Davide Giugliano has good pace, and we know the Ducati manages it's tires. Could Chaz Davies' incident have been caused by something going awry on the bike after he tapped Markus Reiterberger and sent Reiterberger into that acrobatic wreck, earlier?
Rea appears comfortable in second spot. The two Ducati's have nothing separating them. Hopes are for Ducati, that maybe Davide Giugliano can catch Jonathan Rea. Anthony West, again, has the Pedercini Kawasaki in 10th place. We hope to see Frenchman Sylvain Barrier back on the Pedercini Kawasaki. But, he is still healing after a crash at the start of race two at Motorland Aragon in Spain, back in April. Sykes, Rea, and Giugliano have separated themselves, from the rest of the field. Rea has a few areas on this racetrack where he's stronger than is Tom Sykes.
Rea is not pushing the bike out to the outside yet, to try and make a pass. Disappointment for Leon Camier. It's game over for him at Misano. Too bad for MV Agusta. They need to maintain their development budget, so they can get a better chance at putting a second bike on the team. Tom Sykes takes a tighter line than Jonathan Rea, into the corner. Josh Brookes runs wide on the Milwaukee BMW into Carro, the final corner on this racetrack. Will the Milwaukee team change motorcycles for 2017? They have been linked with Aprilia, even before they came to World Superbike. Will they stay with BMW? Could they race a Suzuki, next year? That's another possibility.
Aprilia, BMW, Yamaha, and Honda, all battle for position. This is a fight for fifth. Lorenzo Savadori leads the charge over Alex Lowes, Jordi Torres, and Nicky Hayden. Savadori wiggles through La Quercia and Alex Lowes says, "grazi, Lorenzo", and passes him. Seven laps now left to run. These four riders we've been watching all scrap for a top five finish. That is what they are after. Anthony West and Niccolo Canepa have moved up as has Alex De Angelis. Michael van der Mark is fighting his way through the field followed by Ramos, Brookes, and Schmitter. Xavi Fores holds on to fourth spot.
Xavi Fores wants a seat with the factory Ducati squad for next year, as we watch Davide Giugliano try to chase down the two Kawasaki's. Six laps to go now. Sykes leads Rea over Giugliano and Fores. Rea is starting to push Tom Sykes, looking to rattle his team mate and try to make a move for the lead. Jonathan Rea is comfortable knowing he can fight Sykes, for the win. Ah! It's happened! Lap 17, and Jonathan Rea, pulls the pin, and goes for the lead around the outside! Five laps to go at Misano, and the battle is on, for the race win in race two of World Superbike!
Sykes has to respond, now! He has to avoid Jonathan Rea running away with a win. Through Rio and down into turns five and six, we see Rea pulling away from Tom Sykes. This Kawasaki duel has been the story of the season so far. Four laps to go, and Rea leads by 3/10ths of a second. Update the gap based on the third sector. Giugliano and Fores run third and fourth. Alex Lowes is feeling the heat from Lorenzo Savadori. Niccolo Canepa has a solid ninth place run going. Completing the points paying places are Michael van der Mark, Alex De Angelis, Roman Ramos, Josh Brookes, and Karel Abraham.
Pawel Szkopek scored a point in race one on Saturday. He is 19th right now. However, race control has instructed him to drop one place for overtaking during local yellow flags. He is a second ahead of Saeed al Sulaiti in 20th, but, if he does not drop that place within five laps, he will be disqualified and the stewards will stop scoring him, giving him the black flag. Three laps to go with a 7/10ths of a second gap for Jonathan Rea. Only two riders have done the double winning two riders who have won ten doubles. Carl Fogarty, and Troy Bayliss are the others. Jonathan Rea is separating himself from the rest of the field.
Rea won his first WSBK race here at Misano, back in 2009 as well. Nicky Hayden on the Honda passes Jordi Torres on the BMW for seventh. Rea is stretching his lead out, consistently running 1:35 laps. He is crushing it, making his opposition wonder, "how does he do it?" Poor old Alex Lowes has sunk like a stone, being passed by Lorenzo Savadori. It is the final lap now. Sykes will make it a sixth Kawasaki 1-2 in his 200th race. Davide Giugliano will have a solid podium finish as well. Kudos to him. Pawel Szkopek ignores the marshals, and has to take a ride through penalty.
But, Jonathan Rea, does it! He wins again, at Misano! He becomes only the third World Superbike rider, ever, (along with Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss) to pick up ten career doubles, where he sweeps the race wins during the weekend!
World Superbike Race 2: #1 Jonathan Rea GBR. Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX10R
Sykes is second in his 200th race. Davide Giugliano completes the podium. Fores and Savadori complete the top five. Karel Abraham is the last points paying finisher. Jonathan Rea is now just the third rider, as mentioned, to earn the double victory here, at Misano. He's crushed the opposition. He's beaten Tom Sykes, and Chaz Davies has scored nil points, which leaves him 99 points... 99 points, behind Jonathan Rea. Good for Giugliano to finish and to honor the memory of Fabrizio Pirovano who won ten WSBK races, who passed away. We honor Fabrizio Pirovano, and Luis Salom.
Again, Fabrizio Pirovano who passed away at age 56 with an incurable tumor. He won ten WSBK races, finished on the podium 47 times, had 17 front row starts, and ten race wins, winning the 1998 World Supersport championship title. It has been a heck of a race here at Misano. Jonathan Rea, and crew chief, Per Arriba, have had a great relationship between crew chief and rider, and that's why they've been so successful.
Just recently, the FIM World Superbike Championship, did a solitary event, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California, just last weekend. Two races for them, and also races, for the MotoAmerica championship. Stay tuned, for the MotoAmerica coverage. But, also, especially for the two races run by WSBK on the Monterey Peninsula. Those races, are coming your way soon, right here, on 2 Wheelin'. So long for now, everyone.
...And, before we go, once more, Rest In Peace, Luis Salom, and Fabrizio Pirovano. You will be missed.
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