Gordon Ritchie | July 7, 2018
2018 Misano WorldSBK Saturday Results—Start-To-Finish Win For Rea At Misano
The first WorldSBK race of the Misano weekend was owned from the start by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team). It was his ninth win of the season.
2018 Misano WorldSBK Saturday Results
After taking an early lead Rea opened up a gap of 0.3 seconds on lap one over this team-mate and Superpole winner Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) who was to gradually drop back and finish fifth.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) chased hard for a podium place and was rewarded with second when Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) ran wide and lost his chance of a stand-alone season-best result. With Davies sweeping through to second, 2.791 seconds behind Rea, Laverty was finally 3.7 seconds from his first win for his current team.
Meanwhile, lowly starter Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) was fourth. He worked his way forward and was the last rider to get ahead of Sykes.
Indeed, Sykes was finally 6.713 seconds behind Rea, but well ahead of sixth placed rider. That was top independent, Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati).
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) finished in a loose group, from seventh to ninth. The top ten was completed by Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) after riders such as Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) and Loris Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team) fell. Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was also an eventual non-finisher.
Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was 14th and PJ Jacobsen (Triple M Honda World Superbike Team) 16th.
In the championship, with one more Misano race on Sunday before the start of the summer break, Rea has 345 points, Davies 265, VDM 228 and Sykes 207.
2018 Misano WorldSBK Saturday Results
2018 Misano WorldSSP Saturday Results—Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) continued his strong Friday form into Saturday to score the Superpole win in the WorldSSP class at Misano, with a 1:37.694 lap.
2018 Misano WorldSSP Saturday Results
Jules Cluzel (NRT Yamaha) was second in SP2 and Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) third, completing the front row for Sunday’s race.
The first non-Yamaha was the MV Agusta of Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) in fourth place. 2018 WorldSSP star Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing Yamaha) fifth.
2017 champion Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) finished sixth.
Wildcard rider Stefano Valtulini (Pleo Racing Team Kawasaki) was seventh. Recent signing Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) was eighth, and the top Honda rider.
Official Kawasaki runner Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) placed ninth. Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing Kawasaki) was 10th.
2018 Misano WorldSSP Saturday Results