The second race of the 2020 FIM World Superbike Championship, is upon us, five months after the first race, due to the global Coronavirus pandemic. It's been a long time since we've seen the gladiators of the World Superbike Championship and their compatriots in World Supersport, and World Supersport 300, race. We are in Jerez de la Frontera, in Spain's sherry producing region. This weekend we have the second and third of six races in eight days. So, there will be more World Superbike content coming. For this race report, we shall focus on the Superbikes, only, as they come to Spain for the first of a total of four times in the next six to eight weeks or so. Such are the scheduling changes, that all forms of motorsport, not just World Superbike, have put in place, due to the pandemic.
There are many holes in the schedule, to be determined, or to be confirmed dates. We have seen four winners in the opening four races of the season thus far. Could we see a fifth different winner. We are actually set, for the highlights of the qualifying race. Let's look at the grid. Scott Redding has the pole position, alongside Johnny Rea and Tom Sykes. It's Ducati, Kawasaki, and BMW on the front row of the grid. Michael van der Mark has the Yamaha fourth quickest alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu, the Turkish rider, and Loris Baz. This is actually the second race of the weekend being covered. In race one, it was Scott Redding taking the checkered flag first. He and his Ducati team at Aruba.it Racing Ducati, would dearly love to do the double. Will his fellow Brit and team mate, Chaz Davies, the vastly experienced rider have anything to say?
What about the factory Ducati team with bike #33 for veteran Italian racer Marco Melandri? As we look at the rest of the starting grid, we see Chaz Davies joined by Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam, who's father, Ron Haslam, known as "Rocket Ron" was a star of the 500cc Grand Prix races in the '80s and '90s. Row four finds Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Eugene Laverty (another WSBK veteran), and Sandro Cortese, the German rider with an Italian sounding name. This is a ten lap dash for cash, and we have cooler track temps out there than we've seen all weekend here in Jerez.
Continuing down the starting grid, it's Federico Caricasulo, Alex Lowes, and Garrett Gerloff. Caricasulo and Gerloff are team mates at the Yamaha Junior Team in World Superbike for 2020, two rookies in the championship. Gerloff having moved over from MotoAmerica, and Caricasulo having moved up from the World Supersport class. On row six, it is Javier Fores from Spain aboard the #12 Pucetti Racing Kawasaki ZX10R. Next to hium, Alex Lowes on the sister factory Kawasaki ZX10R, and #23 Christophe Ponsson, the French rider on the lone Aprilia in the field, the RSV4 1000 for Nuova M2 Racing.
We have a glance at the final two rows of the grid through position 23. Marco Melandri is way down aboard the second Barni Racing Team Ducati, bike #33. Next to him is Leandro Mercado of Argentina on the #36 Motocorsa Racing Ducati, all of which are the relatively new Panigale V4 R model. Ducati used to run V Twin engines almost exclusively. But now, they are in the game with everyone else including the best from Japan, running four cylinder, 1000cc bikes. Sylvain Barrier of France is the last bike on row seven, on the #20, another Ducati Panigale for Brixx Performance and a single bike team. The duo on the final row is Italian rider, #63, Lorenzo Gabellini for MIE Racing Althea Honda Team, and his team mate, Takumi Takahashi of Japan.
So, the Honda bikes, bring up the rear of the field. This race, at ten laps, is going to be tough. Lowes and Melandri are going to have a tough go of it. Lights out, away we go for the Tissot Superpole race! This will determine the starting grid for the feature. Tissot, in case you are wondering, is the Swiss watch company that sponsors FIM World Superbike, is one of their major sponsors for the championship. Marco Melandri lifts the front wheel of his motorcycle, as we see Jonathan Rea hit the lead already. Scott Redding is in second. Toprak Razgatlioglu is making a move on Michael van der Mark into turn two.
The Dutchman aboard the Pata Yamaha YZF R1, bike #60, wasn't expecting that. Three wide for second place, look, as Michael van der Mark wants by Scott Redding. Razgatlioglu has bolted, and will he open a margin on everyone else in this short sprint that is the qualifying race? Loris Baz is probing Michael van der Mark. Baz sees an opportunity and wants to grab it. Through turn five they go, down the back straightaway. Redding makes a move on Razgatlioglu. In race one on Saturday, we saw the same thing happen.
This is the qualifying race, the heat race, if you will, for the second points paying event of the weekend here at Jerez de la Frontera. Eugene Laverty has fallen out of the top ten and he has seen both Leon Haslam and Garrett Gerloff go by. Scott Redding comes through as Toprak Razgatlioglu has a mechanical issue with his bike. His hand was in the air to signify, "boys, I've got trouble", and this could be game over for the Turkish rider on the #54 Pata World Superbike Team Yamaha, the team mate to Michael van der Mark.
Jonathan Rea, meanwhile, he is looking for the win. Scott Reding is closing up on Jonathan Rea, but it won't be enough. Rea is going to whittle into Redding's points lead as he wins at Jerez!
#1 Jonathan Rea GBR. Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR
Scott Redding and Michael van der Mark round out the podium places. Loris Baz, Chaz Davies, and Tom Sykes round out the top six. Completing the top ten are Alex Lowes, Garrett Gerloff, Leon Haslam, and Alvaro Bautista. Don't go anywhere. Race two is on deck. This is the feature event, for all the marbles. Are you ready? The riders are ready. Riders in position. Green flag at the back. So, this race is going to start on time. Red lights, on. Red lights, out! Away we go!
Loris Baz wants to go for it off the second row of the grid already. Chaz Davies wants to move up, but he's boxed in. Some argy bargy, some bumping and boring already. Marco Melandri is pushing. Jonathan Rea leads Scott Redding. Chaz Davies sweeps around Loris Baz. He has Toprak Razgatlioglu on his rear tire. Razgatlioglu has rocketed his way from tenth spot on the grid up to fifth. 20 laps scheduled for this race, by the way. Alex Lowes sends it, making a pass on former team mate Michael van der Mark. These two raced together at Yamaha some years ago, and Lowes of course, is now team mates to Jonathan Rea at Kawasaki.
Meanwhile, Chaz Davies is under attack from Toprak Razgatlioglu, and Alex Lowes has his hands full with Michael van der Mark, who we might as well call "The Flying Dutchman". Razgatlioglu dives around Davies into turn 13. Redding looks for a way past Rea into turn one and yes, he makes it stick. Scott Redding now leads and Toprak Razgatlioglu is now in third. He is bish bash boshing his way into a potential podium place. He has picked up seven spots on the opening lap of this motorcycle race, alone! Isn't that something? He's motoring indeed.
Poor old Eugene Laverty is having a lonely race and mechanical woes for his factory BMW Motorrad BMW S1000RR. He was nearly in the top ten before going off the road. A terrible weekend for Laverty and the BMW Motorrad squad. Things are not going much better for former World Champion Tom Sykes either. He's in 13th. BMW is not having a good showing here in the sherry region of Spain at all. Chaz Davies makes a move around Jonathan Rea and is successful. Scott Redding maintains his lead over Jonathan Rea as well.
Poor old Jonatahan Rea, a former World Champion, he has Razgatlioglu and Lowes both ready to pounce, just behind him. Loris Baz is also falling down the order like a stone. Toprak Razgatlioglu wants to move up into third place. He wants a podium. Redding has bolted. Alex Lowes wants by Jonathan Rea. Loiwes puishes into turn six and Rea cuts back as his team mate runs deep in turn six. Alex Lowes is also moving back, and down and out, Loris Baz has catapulted into the gravel trap. It could be game over for Baz. He wants the opportunity, pushes too hard, and low sides through the corner.
Seven laps now remain in race two. Jonatahan Rea continus his march through the field as he goes by Michael Ruben Rinaldi. The Italian is too late on braking into the turn. Alex Lowes wants by both of them. He is thinking, "if those two blokes wipe each other out, then I can move ahead." Rinaldi wants to make a move, but his energy seems to be wasted. Tun nine is a good overtaking place here at Jerez, but the deal is Rea gets him back. Rinaldi desperately wants to pass Rea, and he's going to try another inside move. Michael Ruben Rinaldi has the job done, but Rea will fight back as they scream toward turn one another time with just half a dozen laps to run in this motorcycle race.
Michael van der Mark wants to make a move on Alex Lowes as well. But that battle is secondary to the one we are watching at the moment. Michael Ruben Rinaldi now, has cleared the defending World Champion and he wants to sprint towards that top three battle that sees Scott Redding leading, Chaz Davies in second, and Toprak Razgatlioglu in third spot. It's the final lap of the motorcycle race. Scott Redding can keep his points lead, with a win. The Ducati team will be very happy. One turn remains. Turn 13 for the final time. Scott Redding, in his debut season in World Superbike, has six straight podiums and two wins. Redding does the double at Jerez de la Frontera!
#45 Scott Redding GBR. Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Ducati Panigale V4 R
Chaz Davies second, and Toprak Razgatlioglu gets a second podium. Michael Ruben Rinaldi fourth. Alex Lowes, fifth passing Jonathan Rea, who comes home in the top six. Michael van der Mark in seventh place. Alvaro Bautista, Marco Melandri, and Garrett Gerloff, complete the top ten. Jonathan Rea will still hav second spot in the points.
The next World Superbike event is next weekend. We will be coming to you, from Portugal, and the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal, for more action in the World Superbike Championship. Looking forward to that race. Stay tuned for a race report. Adios, from Spain. We'll see you in Portugal. Take care, everybody.
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