We've reached the penultimate race of the 2016 FIM World Superbike season, and, the final races in Europe, for the year. The venue, is Circuito de Jerez, which celebrated it's 30th anniversary last year, opening in 1985. We are in Europe for the final time this year, as mentioned. Two rounds, four races left. The question is, will Jonathan Rea win the title in race two on Sunday? This track has been on the WSBK calendar since 1990, it went away for a while, and returned in 2013. Built in 1985, and modified, in 1992. The track is 4.4 kilometers equaling 2.7 miles (2.748 miles to be exact). Last year, the wins were split between Tom Sykes and Chaz Davies.
We are readying for a 20 lap Saturday race. Sykes and Rea on the front row along with Davide Giugliano. The atmosphere is building. The weather is lovely. The temperature increases. 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 32 degrees Celsius (89 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Track temperature is going to affect tire choice as we get set for race one at Jerez. Which compound supplied by Pirelli, will the teams go for? Kawasaki virtually has the manufacturer's championship in the bag. They are 85 points ahead of Ducati. This is round twelve, races 23 and 24. There are three tire compounds for the rear. An A compound, B compound, or C compound tire.
The general rule is:
Tire compound A is quicker, but has more degradation as the race goes on.
Tire compound B is more durable but might not get going quickly enough.
Chaz Davies starts sixth and could not find the sweet spot during Super Pole. Davies will have to take care around the first few turns today. The Kawasaki team mates have put a lock on the top two grid places, for the fourth time in the last five rounds. Tomorrow, after race two, we will know if Jonathan Rea becomes the first back-to-back World Superbike champion, since the great Carl Fogarty did the double in 1998 and '99. Fogarty did the honors with one round remaining, in '99 at the Hockenheimring in Germany. Rea leads his Kawasaki team mate Tom Sykes by 48 points coming into this weekend.
If that lead is 50 points, it will be enough for Rea to seal the deal, and the championship crown is his. However, should it go differently, let us imagine the following scenario. Let's just say, if Tom Sykes swept both races, with the exact same order of Chaz Davies second, and Jonathan Rea in third, the margin would be 30 points. It could go either way after we finish here in Spain and head to the finale in Qatar. Rea won the championship here at Jerez last year. No one would really want to see the title fight go to the wire in Qatar. Jordi Torres is the only Spaniard in WSBK to have finished on the podium in his home event. He took the Aprilia to second, last year, just behind Chaz Davies in race two last year.
One Spanish rider has won a race held in Spain in World Superbike. Ruben Xaus is the only Spaniard to have accomplished that, nine years ago, in 2007, when he won at Valencia. Three Spaniards start this race. Jordi Torres for BMW, Xavi Fores, for Ducati, and Roman Ramos for Kawasaki. It must be noted that the only two blokes to have ever won at this track on the current grid are Chaz Davies and Tom Sykes, if you can believe that. Jerez is the only track in WSBK where Jonathan Rea hasn't won a race yet.
Alex Lowes rolls off fourth on the Yamaha. We have trumpeted their praises all year as far as their qualifying efforts. Alex Lowes has managed two top fives, two fifth place efforts, in Malaysia and in the U.S. at Laguna Seca Raceway. Lowes could be the cat among the pigeons in this race. We'll have to wait and see. Folks, yours truly is about to blow you away with a stat. Check this one out. The top eleven riders on this grid, would you believe it, are all under the previous track record set here at Jerez! Unreal! Davide Giugliano is getting back on the pace even though he says he's not fit enough yet to be quick on the bike, as he of course, is Chaz Davies' team mate on the factory Ducati, at least 'til we finish the season in Qatar.
Tire choice, again, will be critical, because as the track begins getting greasier and the riders fight for grip, it will be harder and harder to set consistent, fast laps. Simple question. Do you (with respect to tires), go for durability? Or, do you go for speed? It's a real catch 22. We mention Davies, Sykes, and Rea, all the time. But, watch out for Nicky Hayden, simply because he's very good at tire management. Alex Lowes has found this track suits the Yamaha. The Yamaha YZF R1, that bike has a lack of power compared to the others from Kawasaki, Honda, Ducati, MV Agusta, Aprilia, or BMW. But... you don't need sixth gear in the transmission on this track. So, a little less top end power isn't a situation to panic about and say, "oh no! I'm losing steam! I can't keep up with the rest of these chaps!"
The Yamaha struggles with low end torque and low end power. But, it could capitalize here. Will Giugliano keep up with everyone? His shoulder is still bothering him. If he has a strong race, well, kudos to him for sticking it out and going for it. It'll come down to turn one. We also need to look out for some of the second riders at Honda and Aprilia, riders like Michael van der Mark, and Leon Camier. They could go for it, too. Two keys to this race. Take care of your tires, and, maintain consistent lap times. The riders are taking their bikes on the sighting lap. We need to watch for what Chaz Davies is going to do. Nicky Hayden knows this track from his MotoGP days.
Michael van der Mark had a dead battery on his Honda CBR1000RR earlier in the weekend. So, he's been a shade on the back foot before this race. We had a few other minor tech hiccups for other riders. Friday morning, an engine issue for Sylvain Guintoli on his Yamaha. We could see a good battle between the top contenders, today. Something we haven't really seen this year. We should have some wildcard riders starting this event, or maybe the wildcard guys are just the riders who have not been at the sharp end of the field yet this year. We're also going to study how the championship outcome ebbs and flows in this race. So, lots to do as we have this race to look forward to, in a few minutes.
Let's look at some individual contenders, and their grid slots. Jonathan Rea, second place. He is one podium away from history and scoring 85 total. Tom Sykes scores his eighth pole of 2016, and the 38th of his WSBK career. Eight watches. Are there eight time zones? I don't know. Again, Alex Lowes qualifies fourth. Davide Giugliano qualifies third. He's had a tough few weeks, and it's great to see him on the front row as he tries to get a ride for 2017 and beyond. Nicky Hayden qualifies in the top five, sandwiched between Alex Lowes and Chaz Davies. Interestingly, Aruba Ducati and Kawasaki Racing Team are level with each other on fastest laps set in the 2016 season. As teams, Aruba Ducati, and KRT, have ten fastest laps apiece.
Jordi Torres starts seventh on the BMW. Now, with respect to Kawasaki and Ducati, the two motorcycles can have similar performance in lap time. It is how they make those times work and achieve them, that is different. There are subtle differences in places on specific tracks, where the two bikes are weaker or stronger than the other, in terms of what kinds of lap times they can turn. Xavi Fores rolls off eighth. Jordi Torres has seemed to run quite a bit stronger at Althea BMW than Markus Reiterberger has this year.
Torres seems to have more consistency than Reiterberger has this year. Setting fast lap times is important, but tires are what makes the motorcycle. Can you make a tire last for 20 laps at Jerez? Can you make it last for 25 laps at other tracks? Leon Camier rounds out the top ten. He had a big 100 mile an hour wreck on Friday morning, and another in Friday afternoon practice. Alex Lowes is making his 75th start. Michael van der Mark and Jordi Torres will start their 50th races in the Sunday Jerez race. Anthony West rolls off 12th. It is possible for him to race either in World Superbike with Pedercini on the Kawasaki, or in World Supersport, on a Yamaha YZF R6.
You heard the news here on 2 Wheelin', and that is, the new Yamaha YZF R6 has been released, for 2017. Markus Reiterberger on the sister Althea BMW rolls off 13th. This track is very narrow and there is a 5% climb into the first corner. Lorenzo Savadori rolls off 14th. Pirelli has sent in the tire sheet. What's the plan with who runs which tires? Let's find out. The vast majority of the grid has gone with the B spec tire. This is a medium compound tire that is going to settle into it's own a little slower. It will be more consistent. Alex Lowes will use the A spec rear and so will Nicky Hayden. Chaz Davies is using the A spec front tire. Most are on the B spec, front and rear.
Jordi Torres will also use the A spec front tire. Roman Ramos is 15th. In 16th, it is Alex De Angelis on the Aprilia. Swtiching gears to World Supersport for a moment. When we bring you coverage of WSSP from Jerez, two major riders are ruled out of action due to injury. No Alex Baldolini and no Gino Rea, in the WSSP race. Josh Brookes rolls off 17th. Alex Lowes and Nicky Hayden will use the A spec rear Pirelli tire. Five minutes to go before we get started as the Alfa Romeo 4C safety car, drives away and starts it's pace lap. Luca Scassa rolls off 18th. In 19th, it is Peter Sebestyen.
We are ready to bring the action at Jerez. Giugliano in third, and in the top two places, the Kawasaki's of Sykes and Rea. We have two wildcard riders at the end of the grid. Karel Pesek from the Czech Republic is a wildcard on a second Toth Yamaha to Peter Sebestyen, and caboose on the field, is Frenchman Matthieu Lussiana. One interesting thing about Jerez, is that it is a common track for testing in all forms of worldwide motorcycle racing. We see test sessions here for World Superbike, World Supersport, MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3. Everyone, no matter what kind of bike they ride, is able to set record lap times in test sessions here at Jerez.
Update on the weather. Air temperature = 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). Track temperature = 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit). We look at points. The two Kawasaki boys are in this championship fight. 48 points separates them. Rea on 426 points. Sykes on 378 points. Lots of sliding has been common, but, today the pace should be very consistent. Tom Sykes can't win the championship this weekend. He could have a shot at the Qatar finale. Sykes has to do all he can today, to chip away at Jonathan Rea's lead, because if he doesn't, then it's Rea's championship if he wins the Sunday race.
For now, let's get ready for the Saturday WSBK race at Jerez. It's time, to bring the action! Watch for Davies on the Ducati, too. Kawasaki wants the manufacturer's title, too. They will race their new ZX10RR bike, next year. Who will have the advantage? Red lights on. Red lights, out! Away we go! Oh dear! Nicky Hayden has had a horrible start! Jonathan Rea is leading as we head for turn one. Alex Lowes goes after Tom Sykes and the two Ducati's also mix it up. Chaz Davies makes a move inside Davide Giugliano. You have three Ducati's liner stern. Davies fourth, Giugliano fifth, and the satellite bike of Xavi Fores, in sixth for Barni Racing.
Alex Lowes has placed the Yamaha YZF R1 into third. Davies tries to defend from Lowes into Sito Pons corner, named after the famous Spanish motorcycle racer. Davies cuts underneath Alex Lowes under braking into Dry Sac. Nicky Hayden recovers, and we see both the Kawasaki bikes and the Ducati's running together. Nicky Hayden makes a pass on Davide Giugliano. Oh dear! We've got a yellow flag, and two riders down. Saeed Al Sulaiti, and Luca Scassa, have both crashed out. Davies passes Alex Lowes. Chaz Davies has to keep in touch with the green bikes, because he'll have no chance if those two whistle off into the distance.
Jordi Torres makes a move inside Davide Giugliano for seventh, and, oh no! It's gone pear shaped for Ducati! Giugliano has gone down, and so has Xavi Fores! One Aruba bike, done. One Barni bike, game over! We watch Jonathan Rea pressing Tom Sykes. Giugliano has recovered. But Fores and Alex Lowes become the third and fourth retirements from race one here at Jerez. Sykes is pushing through another legendary corner name, the Aspar corner. Davies knows in the back of his mind, mathematically he's still in the fight. So, what does he do? He slices inside Jonathan Rea, for second spot!
Davies splits the Kawasaki's into Angel Nieto corner. You can tell this speedway is a palace for motorcycle fans, because a good number of the corners, are named after famous 2 wheel racers. We will be able to see, through riding style, the differences between the green bike (the Kawasaki), and the red bike (the Ducati), and how these athletes handle their 230+ horsepower two wheeled stallions. Nicky Hayden on the Honda, sets fast lap of the race so far at 1:41.893. Davies rides into the corners with a wider line than the Kawasaki boys do. Just as we explain Luca Scassa falling out, speaking of falling out, Alex Lowes takes a huge tumble on the Yamaha!
They're dropping like flies. The soft compound Pirelli tire, is more aggressive in how it handles the track, and maybe the bike just snapped away from Alex Lowes causing him to fall down. Paul Denning and Andrea Dossoli, the brain trust at Yamaha Pata Racing have to be humphing and harumphing right now after this incident. Nicky Hayden is right behind the top three by a second. We've seen five spills in the opening laps, because this track at Jerez, is getting greasier every lap. It's treacherous out there. Anthony West was tumbling the order, and maybe he could have crashed. But, he's rejoined the race at Dry Sac.
New fast lap for Sykes. 1:41.467. Deja vu, because Sykes and Davies won this thing last year, (both races respectively), and now, we see a rematch. Sykes' late braking style, and Davies' outright corner speed, these factors are giving us a great battle. Sykes can defend by being late on the brakes and then Davies, he hustles his way right to the rear tire of Tom Sykes' ZX10R. Updating the points, it's now a 39 point spread between Rea and Sykes... 442-403. Davies sits on 365, 77 points out of the lead and 38 behind Sykes. Sykes won the championship here at Jerez in 2013. At that time, there was a sizzling battle between Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri.
Davies takes the lead after starting sixth on the grid. Even if Davies wins this race, Kawasaki has the manufacturers cup sewn up. In replay we watch, and the earlier crash, was actually two isolated incidents where Xavi Fores and Davide Giugliano, hit the deck, separately. Michael van der Mark has gotten around Jordi Torres for fifth. Honda leads BMW. We have riders like Gianluca Vizziello and Peter Sebestyen up into the points paying places in the top 15 right now. Anthony West who wrecked earlier, he has managed to get around wildcard Karel Pesek. Saeed Al Sulaiti, Luca Scassa, Davide Giugliano, Xavi Fores, and Alex Lowes.
Nicky Hayden is fourth using the alternative rear tire. His last lap was a 1:42.1 and Jonathan Rea had a 1:42 flat. Nicky Hayden wants more podiums. We see Jordi Torres on the BMW S1000RR still in hot pursuit of Michael van der Mark on the Honda CBR1000RR. Torres struggled spinning his rear tire earlier in the weekend. But, during the race, his BMW's traction control seems to work fine. Last time by, Sykes was 4/10ths of a second quicker than was Jonathan Rea. Chaz Davies is setting consistent 1:41.5 lap times. The softer Pirelli tire fits his riding style, and we'll see how he gets on as this race continues.
Kawasaki has run real well here at Jerez over the years. Back in 1990, Raymond Roche did the double here at Jerez for Ducati. Back then, Jerez was the WSBK season opener and Roche was WSBK champ in 1990 as well. It took 24 years before another French rider won the championship in WSBK, when in 2014, Sylvain Guintoli earned the championship. Davies has lost 4/10ths of a second. Davies' lead is 1.2 seconds over Sykes. As we close in on half distance, Nicky Hayden's pace is improving.
French wildcard rider Matthieu Lussiana has crashed out of this race on motorcycle #94, the ASPI BMW S1000RR. He has crashed into turn 13, the Jorge Lorenzo corner. Karel Pesek of the Czech Republic is the last rider now remaining in this event. At the end of the next lap, lap ten, we'll be halfway home. We have movement in the midfield too as Josh Brookes has gone by Lorenzo Savadori. Alex De Angelis has also passed Savadori. Romano Ramos remains in the points and thus, two of the three Spaniards who started, are. Peter Sebestyen has passed Gianluca Vizziello. The question remains, can Nicky Hayden get past Jonathan Rea.
The gap is 9/10ths of a second. Rea had many victories riding with Honda before he moved to Kawasaki. The gap is closing. Famously, Jonathan Rea struggled most in both 2015 races here at Jerez even though he won the championship, finishing fourth in both races. Nicky Hayden begins to charge, and Chaz Davies picks up a couple tenths on Tom Sykes. It's the battle of the Aprilia's into Jorge Lorenzo corner, in replay. Alex De Angelis goes around Lorenzo Savadori. Savadori has to deal with passing Roman Ramos who has had a tough race in the Saturday opener here at Jerez.
Ramos had engine and electrical issues with his bike, and, for the first time in his career he lost both knee pads, one in the morning, and the other, in the afternoon. Ramos, chasing the Aprilia riders, is on the GoEleven Kawasaki ZX10R. Josh Brookes is just ahead. Brookes is the fastest rider in this group, and he is now in tenth place. We are now halfway home. Ten laps complete. Ten remaining. Chaz Davies now leads Tom Sykes by 2.4 seconds. Hayden is 1.2 seconds behind Rea. What will happen to the performance of the alternative front tire after the next lap is completed? It may be coming towards it's falloff point.
Roman Ramos passes Lorenzo Savadori for 12th. Keep an eye on the Yamaha and BMW battle which is Jordi Torres vs. Sylvain Guintoli. Guintoli is faster than Torres right now. Kawasaki has everything nearly sewn up, as they are in perfect position now, to wrap up a second consecutive manufacturer's championship in World Superbike. If things stay the way they are, Kawasaki will lead Ducati by 80 points. Anthony West and Gianluca Vizziello have swapped places. "Ant" is now 15th and in the last points paying position. Davies turns a 1:42 flat lap time, and it is undoubtedly faster than either of the Kawasaki riders right now.
Sylvain Guintoli has gotten around Jordi Torres for sixth spot. If positions stay as they are, the gap between Rea and Sykes for the championship, shrinks by four, from 48 points, to 44. Alex De Angelis has caught Josh Brookes. Anthony West has made another move, going around Peter Sebestyen for 14th. We know the Aprilia RSV4 is often the fastest motorcycle in a straight line, but as De Angelis and Brookes head for Sito Pons corner, De Angelis won't be close enough. The BMW S1000RR is another bike that is very quick in a straight line, and the two BMW teams could have some performance still to use, in the finale in Qatar when we get there.
Among the top three riders, Chaz Davies is faster than the two Kawasaki riders. Davies ran a 1:42.315. Rea, a 1:42.421, and Sykes, a 1:42.580. The gap is 1.6 seconds. Will Jonathan Rea have time to catch Sykes? Davies would still have a mathematical chance of winning the championship, if the order stayed as is. Sykes could reduce the lead, but of course, Rea and crew chief Per Arriba, concentrate on the whole points total across both races of the weekend. Rea has more pace than Sykes, but he won't be able to bridge a 1.8 second gap before the end of race one here in Spain. Roman Ramos is right behind Alex De Angelis, and De Angelis had some good finishes when he ran here at Jerez in Moto2.
Things may stay status quo to the end. Sykes is ahead of Rea, at Kawasaki. Hayden is ahead of Michael van der Mark at Honda. In the meantime, Jordi Torres is falling into the clutches of Leon Camier. The MV Agusta is gaining on the BMW. Camier is going to make a brave man's move inside Torres at Dry Sac. Fair and square racing, as Torres leaves Camier racing room. BMW has no grip for their bike on the power exiting the corners. This symptom plagued them in Friday practice as well. Sylvain Guintoli is three seconds ahead of Leon Camier, in seventh. So, the MV man may not catch the Yamaha. If the rumor mill is indeed true, in 2017, Sylvain Guintoli could be team mates with Leon Camier at MV Agusta. We'll see what develops in that case.
Four laps now remain in race one. Alex De Angelis is still trying to get around Josh Brookes. But, as is so often true in racing, catching is one thing, passing is another. Michael van der Mark has eaten a second out of the advantage his Honda team mate Nicky Hayden holds. Nicky Hayden is the only rider (now that Alex Lowes has retired from this race), on the softer A compound Pirelli rear tire. Michael van der Mark is gaining on Hayden. 1:43.4 for Hayden, while van der Mark runs a 1:43 flat. This is a fight for fourth in the race and the world championship.
Hayden has to keep van der Mark at bay. van der Mark doesn't care though, because he'll race for Yamaha next year, while MotoGP veteran Stefan Bradl joins Hayden at Honda. Chaz Davies leads by four seconds with two laps left. Ducati has found what they need with Davies' Panigale. He's not having to over stress the bike. He crashed three or four times earlier in the year if you recall. The gap between Hayden and van der Mark is 7/10ths of a second. Has van der Mark done enough? Just two good overtaking spots here at Jerez. He'll have to make a move into the Jorge Lorenzo corner on the last lap.
It is the final lap. Chaz Davies looks for his eighth race win of 2016. Davies runs slightly wide into the final turn. But he is now just one win shy of the number tallied by Jonathan Rea this season. Davies wins race one at Jerez! But, Kawasaki has now won their second straight World Superbike manufacturer's championship! Michael van der Mark finishes a tenth of a second behind Hayden. Ducati won the battle. But, Kawasaki won the war.
World Superbike Race 1: #7 Chaz Davies GBR. Ducati Panigale R
Race two is coming up.
We move on to the Sunday race here in Spain. In order to clinch the 2016 FIM World Superbike Championship, Jonathan Rea needs merely six points. Again, if Rea clinches today, he becomes the first back-to-back World Superbike champion since Carl Fogarty accomplished the feat in the late 1990s. Let battle commence, here in Spain! Between them, the legendary Grand Prix motorcycle racers who have corners named after them here at Jerez, have 26 championships! Absolutely amazing.
Can Chaz Davies do the double? This is it. Take a deep breath. We are ready to possibly decide a title, and a race, at Jerez de la Frontera. Will Jonathan Rea be champ? Post time weather conditions are not much different than on Saturday 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. A hotter track may influence tire choice. We have another 20 lap race, coming up. Chaz Davies is pretty much out of contention for the rider's championship. Kawasaki has won both the manufacturer's and team's titles.
90% of the hotel rooms were booked for this race weekend. Congratulations to Kawasaki winning the teams and manufacturer's titles. They have also won the manufacturers championship in World Supersport. Folks, we cannot divulge who won World Supersport yet. That's another race report, and will be coming soon. Stay tuned. You have to go back to September 1999, to the Hockenheimring in Germany, when Carl Fogarty scored his second straight world championship. Jonathan Rea and Per Arriba, his crew chief, are looking to seal the deal. Tom Sykes and his crew chief Marcel Twinke have plans of their own, surely.
Sykes was fastest in the morning warmup. Chaz Davies is running his seventh and last engine of the season. We saw lots of different riding styles in yesterday's race. Davies runs sideways into the final corner like a dirt tracker. We saw yesterday some variety in tire choice, and a change in temperature from cool to warm. The subtle differences in the A and B spec tires, were not really noticeable. Who can find the confidence in the front end? We saw lots of crashes on Saturday. Well, this is common at Jerez as the track gets slick.
Saeed Al Sulaiti said that Dominic Schmitter triggered a wreck between Al Sulaiti and Luca Scassa in the race yesterday. Jordi Torres has been smoking the rear tire on his BMW even with traction control on the motorcycle. We are prepping for the sighting laps. You've got 20 minutes if you want to grab a beverage before the race begins. The race could go either way. Rea could win the title today, or have to wait until the finale. How will the Kawasaki's find pace through the race to challenge Davies on the Ducati? If Rea wants the title, he needs to win.
Tom Sykes knows any title hopes he has, rest on Jonathan Rea running into trouble. Race pace is a major deal. We saw Davies consistently lapping in the 1:41s on Saturday. Jonathan Rea rolls off second. Nicky Hayden had a rear suspension issue, dropping the ride height on his Honda CBR1000RR. This caused Hayden to have to battle his team mate, Michael van der Mark and he could not take the fight to Jonathan Rea.
Jonathan Rea is second. Davide Giugliano is third on the grid. Here at Jerez, if a rider opens a margin, it's hard for his competition to bridge it and make up ground. Chaz Davies rolls off sixth. He'll have to duplicate his performance from yesterday. Alex Lowes starts fourth. He has to hope he can finish today after crashing out on Saturday. Tom Sykes performed well even though he didn't have the pace. Leon Camier has had a tough weekend, but has had the pace on his MV Agusta. Nicky Hayden rolls off fifth. Eight on the grid is Xavi Fores.
Fores crashed yesterday along with Davide Giugliano. Jordi Torres scored a podium here at Jerez last year. But, that was on the Aprilia as opposed to the BMW. Pirelli's tire selections have more variety for today's race. Kawasaki uses the C spec harder compound front tire. B spec rear tires for the green bikes. Davide Giugliano has a softer A spec tire on the front of his Ducati. Nicky Hayden on the Honda is also using the C spec tire. Sylvain Guintoli is ninth. Leon Camier rounds out the top ten.
Michael van der Mark is 11th. No real difference between A and B spec tires. The C spec is slightly harder and handles a tad differently. Anthony West is 12th. West and Torres went through Super Pole 1, and also in Super Pole 2. Markus Reiterberger is 13th. He's had a tough year this year due to injury. Lorenzo Savadori is 14th. The BMW S1000RR has been a consistent bike this year. Roman Ramos completes the top 15. Alex De Angelis is 16th on the Aprilia. 17th is Josh Brookes. 18th, Luca Scassa. Karel Abraham is not here. He has a fever. So, Josh Brookes is the only Milwaukee BMW on the grid this weekend.
In 19th, it's Peter Sebestyen, and he scored his first ever World Superbike point in the Saturday contest. The Ioda team won't be testing after this race. Yes, there was a test on the Monday after Jerez. Ioda is not sure what bike they will use in 2017. Will they stay with Aprilia? Will they switch and race a BMW? GoEleven may run a second motorcycle in the 2017 WSBK season. Rolling off 20th it is Gianluca Vizziello. Rumors fly, too, of another Yamaha bike that could join the grid. We'll have to wait and see.
Dominic Schmitter is 21st. 22nd is Saeed Al Sulaiti. 23rd is Karel Pesek. Karel Pesek is a former MotoGP level racer, and is the younger brother of motorcycle racer Lucas Pesek. Karel Pesek is Peter Sebestyen's team mate at Toth Yamaha this weekend. They have had four riders. Imre Toth, Pawel Szkopek, Peter Sebestyen, and Karel Pesek. The safety car powers up the hill. Five minutes until we race. Matthieu Lussiana is shotgun on the field. The only way for him, is up, quite literally. What's up in the UFO? The UFO is the enclosed glass room under the bridge that the riders pass through.
You can see, in that vantage point, the first four or five corners, up to the Sito Pons turn. So, we give a shout out to the fans digging the racing action in the UFO! There is a bar for the VIPs up there, too. Giugliano, Sykes, Rea, across the front row. Win the race, and take the title fight to Qatar. That's Sykes' mission. The bikes are on their warmup lap. 44 points between Rea and Sykes. Davies is 72 points behind. But, he could still be in with a shout here. We update the weather conditions before the red lights go out here in Jerez. 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature. 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. That is the hottest track temp we've seen all weekend.
We are right on the cusp of a tire drop off. Recall on Saturday, we saw lots of wrecks early. Jonathan Rea has never won here at Jerez. We see the project managers for the teams looking on. Yoshimoto Matsuda for Kawasaki, and Ernesto Marinelli, for Ducati. We're ready for a start. Red lights on. Red lights out! Away we go! Tom Sykes gets the advantage headed for the first corner as Markus Reiterberger also gets an unusually good getaway on the BMW. Chaz Davies moves up, and Jonathan Rea will be down in fourth if he's not careful. Sykes and Davide Giugliano are side by side.
Three wide! Giugliano in the middle of that sandwich is the hot dog about to fly out of the bun! Good start for Nicky Hayden too, on the Honda. Nicky Hayden made a stellar move and Alex Lowes is pushed wide on the Yamaha YZF R1. Sykes leads as Jonathan Rea tries to have a go at Chaz Davies. Nicky Hayden is surely in the right place at the right time. Davies blocks Sykes and goes for the lead. Sykes is strong under braking. Davies charges from sixth to first on lap one. Poor old Peter Sebestyen! He scored points on Saturday. But, it's game over on Sunday as Sebstyen wrecks. Jonathan Rea makes a move on Tom Sykes into the first corner.
No dice. Rea can't push his way through. Davide Giugliano started on the front row, but has since fallen way down to eighth place. No one jumped the start. That's good to hear. Jonathan Rea is keen to win the championship today and seal the deal before the final race. If the order stays as it is now, we'd see the fight go to Qatar. More news on the Qatar race at the end of this report. Rea has to win today to clinch the title. But it will be a tall order. Chaz Davies already sets fast lap at 1:41.492. If Davies holds on to win, he'll have won the same number of races in 2016 as Jonathan Rea has. Can Nicky Hayden maintain good lap times and challenge the front runners? He's ahead of Alex Lowes on the Yamaha.
Oh dear. Leon Camier has fallen in turn eight. No dice for MV Agusta and Camier. Michael van der Mark and Jordi Torres move up. Davide Giugliano breaks into the top ten. Davies lowers fastest lap to 1:41.767. Alex De Angelis has ditched his Aprilia in the gravel. A classic turn one low side wreck for De Angelis and he held on for the ride for quite a while before letting go of the motorcycle. Jonathan Rea takes a different line than Tom Sykes, to generate more speed on corner exit. De Angelis has rejoined the race. It's not game over for him, thankfully. Rea is carrying that big speed into the Criville and Ferrari corners. Then, shoot out of Lorenzo corner to complete the lap.
Chaz Davies said that he doesn't really enjoy racing at Jerez, and has come here for 16 years, but now he finally understands how to ride the track. Alex Lowes and Sylvain Guintoli run fifth and sixth, the two Yamaha team mates. The Yamaha can use it's tires effectively. Again, game over for Alex De Angelis. Too much damage to keep racing. Davies still leads. Tom Sykes knows how crucial points are. He lost the championship in 2012 by half a point to Max Biaggi, and to Sylvain Guintoli in 2014.
Xavi Fores battles with Michael van der Mark and Jordi Torres. Davide Giugliano is dropping like a stone, running behind Roman Ramos and Markus Reiterberger. Rea can't use the speed of his bike to get by Sykes. Chaz Davies has dropped his pace back into the 1:42 range. Michael van der Mark goes around Xavi Fores for seventh. Fourteen laps left. We are working lap seven. Three laps to halfway. 21 of 24 riders are running. Karel Pesek is the last rider in the race. We've lost from the race, Sebestyen, Camier, and De Angelis. Chaz Davies and the Kawasaki riders are in the 1:42 range, as the tires are beginning to fall off.
Lorenzo Savadori passes Davide Giugliano. Jordi Torres smokes the rear tire again. Maybe it is oil that burns off from inside the crankcase. That can happen on a Superbike. Chaz Davies can open a gap if the Kawasaki boys scrap with each other. Jordi Torres has caught Xavi Fores. Torres cuts like a knife through butter to make a pass on Xavi Fores. Torres and Fores played ping pong with each other earlier in the weekend, and not due to competition, but due to humor, Jordi Torres had Xavi Fores in tears of laughter for their antics at the ping pong table. What a blast that must have been! Davide Giugliano drops to 15th, losing a place to Josh Brookes.
Saeed Al Sulaiti has crashed and then picked up the bike. Rea and Sykes continue to battle, but Sykes just has the edge and Rea has to decide, when do I make the move? The Kawasaki's have lost touch with Chaz Davies who leads by two and a half seconds. Xavi Fores has also fallen down. Oh dear. A tech issue for Xavi Fores. He's out of the race. He wrecked at Dry Sac down at the end of the back straight. Anthony West and Markus Reiterberger have moved into the top ten. The Yamaha team mates are in a battle of their own too, as Sylvain Guintoli closes up on Alex Lowes.
Tom Sykes holds a tight line into turn five. Rea moves in and Sykes cannot get around. Rea holds on. Sykes has to make the move, now. Sykes cannot make it yet. Try into turns one and two. Ten laps left. If it stays this way, the margin headed into the season closer would still be 48 markers. Sykes now has an opportunity to go for it into Dry Sac. Rea holds on as he has more mid corner speed than Sykes does. Sylvain Guintoli, meanwhile, has passed Alex Lowes in the battle of the Yamaha's. We are halfway home in race two.
Davies leads by 4.2 seconds. Michael van der Mark passes Alex Lowes. These two, will be team mates at Yamaha, next year. Sykes just can't get past Jonathan Rea. If it stays as is with eight laps left, the points are as follows. Rea leads Sykes by 48 points 462-414. Chaz Davies will be on 395 markers, 67 points behind, in third, and also, 19 points behind Sykes. How close will Sykes be to Rea? He carries speed through the Sito Pons corner. Chaz Davies continues to lead. Should Sykes crash, Rea will be world champ. Fastest lap again for Davies at 1:42.817. Nicky Hayden pulls in two tenths on Tom Sykes.
Lorenzo Savadori passes Markus Reiterberger. Gianluca Vizziello may score a single point as he did in Germany a couple races ago. If Rea picks up 20 points for second, and Tom Sykes falls behind Nicky Hayden, then, Rea is champion. Davies is 6.3 seconds ahead of the Kawasaki's. Hayden edges closer to the Kawasaki's. Markus Reiterberger has taken his BMW off the road at the Sito Pons turn. He's dropped to 14th. Chaz Davies has this one in the bag for the win. He leads by 6.7 seconds. Since the summer break, Davies has won every dry race. Mathematically though, going to the finale, Davies is 67 points in-arrears, so he's out of contention for the title.
Incidentally, both Jordi Torres and Michael van der Mark have made their 50th career WSBK starts in this race. Sykes winding in Jonathan Rea. Nicky Hayden takes in a tenth and a half through sector three. We know there is animosity between the team mates at Kawasaki, Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes. The same is true for their World Supersport team of Kenan Sofuoglu and Randy Krummenacher. As they came through the latest split point, there's nothing in it between Sykes and Rea at the moment.
Rea could be struggling here and the track conditions are not suiting him, even with four laps left. Jerez is the only track on the World Superbike calendar where Jonathan Rea has not won. Nicky Hayden has raced here in MotoGP and done lots of testing here. Three laps to go now. Make that two. If Rea is second, he gets the title. Through Criville, Ferrari, and Jorge Lorenzo corners. Chaz Davies proceeds to start another lap. This isn't over yet. Two laps to go. Make that a lap and a half. Hayden is going to have trouble making a move on Sykes. Chaz Davies dominated this race. We haven't seen him, because we are more concerned about the championship battle.
Davies is going to have this race in the bag. It's the final lap. Davies leads Rea by 7.4 seconds. Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark run fifth and sixth. The Yamaha's are having their best dry race of the year. Hayden can't make a move on Tom Sykes. Sykes needs a clean run out of Aspar and out of Angel Nieto corner. Chaz Davies scores his fourth double of 2016. Davies is unstoppable in Spain. He wins! Jonathan Rea is second. 48 points, just as it was going into this weekend.
World Superbike Race 2: #7 Chaz Davies GBR. Ducati Panigale R
Davies does the double. The championship fight, goes to the finale, in Qatar at the Losail circuit, in two weeks. We'll see you then. It's going to go down to the wire! Don't miss it!
No comments:
Post a Comment