Gordon Ritchie | August 19, 2017
Chaz Davies Makes A Winning WorldSBK Season Restart
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) secured the first win of the Lausitz WorldSBK weekend – and the first after the summer break –despite starting sixth off the grid. A pass on early leader Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) saw him hit the front after two laps and stay there all the way to the end, despite the constant close attentions of eventual second place Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team).
Sykes could not make any inroads to the final top two near the end, despite taking the new lap record of 1:36.918 on lap six.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started well but finished 16 seconds off the podium in fourth place, and was almost caught by the ever-impressive Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), who finished fifth. Camier was in the middle of a close three rider group that was completed by Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) in sixth place.
Front row starter Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) placed seventh, well ahead of an all Spanish fight between Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Ducati) and Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team), which went the way of the Ducati rider over the line.
The promising Friday of Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) turned into tenth place on Saturday.
Local rider Stefan Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) missed the race due to a left elbow injury, suffered on Friday.
WorldSSP: Morais Heads The Pack
Sheridan Morais (Kallio Race System Yamaha) secured his first ever WorldSSP pole position with the fastest Superpole lap of Saturday at the Lausitzring. He was joined on the front row by his team-mate Niki Tuuli (Kallio Race System Yamaha), who placed third. It was a Yamaha clean sweep of the top three places after works rider Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) earned second.
The first non-R6 rider was the fastest man on Friday, Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda), fourth, with the highly unusual sight of Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) not on the front row but one place behind Cluzel in fifth. Yet another Yamaha rider, championship leader Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) was sixth.
The three cylinder machines were led by British runner Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing Triumph), with the replacement for Roby Rolfo, Lorenzo Zanetti (Team Factory Vamag MV Agusta) eighth and the front three rows being completed by Spanish-based UK rider, Kyle Smith (GEMAR Balloons – Team Lorini Honda).
Gino Rea (Team GO ELEVEN Kawasaki) was 12th, and Anthony West (EAB West Racing Yamaha), 13th.