Gordon Ritchie | May 12, 2019
Race two of WorldSBK at Imola was canceled due to heavy rain.
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Sprint Race
On a dry line between the still wet patches, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) scored his second win of the season in fine style, after early leader Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) ran a little wide into the final chicane early in the race. Rea and eventual third placed man Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) squeezed past Davies at the start but only Rea was to make a final escape.
Davies, so unfortunate to break down in Saturday’s first full-distance race, fought back in the 10 lap Superpole race to pass his team-mate Bautista and then set about trying to haul in Rea’s 1.5-second advantage, setting a new lap record of 1’45.727 on lap seven.
Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) ran out fourth after clearing some space between himself and the following pack of three battling riders.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Saturday podium runner Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) finished in that order – fifth, sixth and seventh respectively – after Razgatlioglu dropped back and had to fight with eighth-placed rider Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and another privateer Kawasaki rider, Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki).
Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) held off another great short-notice ride from BSB regular Tommy Bridewell (Team GoEleven Ducati) for tenth.
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Sprint Race Results
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—WorldSSP Race
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) was the early leader of the 17-lap WorldSSP championship race at Imola, until he suddenly slowed exiting the Variante Alta and team-mates Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) and Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) passed him.
Krummenacher was finally the winner, after a strong last lap push to get ahead of his team-mate, with Caricasulo second and the battling Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) finally classified third.
Although the race was dry, white flags appeared then spots of rain in sector two, then halfway way through the race there were drops of rain in sector one, and finally again in sector four.
The race went to the full 17 laps for the leaders but after the crash suffered by Massimo Roccoli (Team Rosso Corsa Yamaha) a red flag was shown as the rest crossed the line. Everybody from fifth place down was therefore classified with their finishing position on the sector before the crash happened, except Roccoli.
The leading group had grown to five riders at one stage as Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing Yamaha) closed in, just as the race clicked into the ten lap stage.
Then, sudden drama, as Cluzel seemed to slow exiting the last chicane, Mahias hit his tail section and fell, his bike collecting the following Gradinger, who also went down.
Cluzel escaped but lost time to go eighth, and then seventh at the flag. Mahias got back into action just outside the top ten, but worked his way back to eighth. Gradinger was unable to restart.
Behind the podium Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was a career best fourth, one place ahead of Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) fifth. Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing Yamaha) placed sixth just behind the Kawasaki duo.
Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays Honda) was ninth and Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) tenth.
Krummenacher now has a 22-point lead over Caricasulo, with Cluzel 37 back from the lead.
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—WorldSSP Race Results
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—Race One
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) had not won a WorldSBK race since the only race held in the desert of Qatar in 2018, but he comprehensively won a dry Imola race one today by 7.832 seconds from the previously dominant Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
Rea, who was second off the grid, passed early leader Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and then eased away like it was 2018 all over again after setting a new lap record of 1:46.023 on lap three.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) effectively won a fight for third with Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) one lap early, leaving Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) a real possibility for fourth place on the final tour. VDM held him off to take fourth, and top Yamaha rider on the day.
It was a thrilling race at times. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was leading, then second, before technical disaster struck and he suddenly slowed and limped back to the pits.
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was another rider with a definite podium in his sights until his bike slowed when he was in a clear third place, and he rode back to the pits to retire.
Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha) won a final battle with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), as the British rider slowed from his podium battling position to be seventh behind Melandri.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team Ducati) held off wildcard rider Lorenzo Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing Ducati) for eighth. Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was a lonely tenth.
Replacement rider for the injured Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati), Tommy Bridewell, was a fine 12th.
Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) missed the race with a shoulder injury.
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—Race One
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—World Supersport Qualifying
Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) secured his second pole of the season with a 1’50.239 – a new track best lap – that took him 0.432 seconds ahead of his own team-mate Federico Caricasulo.
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha), although a late crasher on the exit of the final chicane, was third fastest and the final rider on the front row for Sunday’s race.
Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing Yamaha) was fourth, but over a second distant from Krummenacher.
Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was the first non-Yamaha rider home, as he took fifth place, with the fastest MV Agusta one place behind him in the hands of Raffaele de Rosa.
The third row of the grid will be headed up by 2017 champion Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in seventh place.
Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) continued his good home pace in eighth, with old WorldSSP favorite and wildcard rider Massimo Roccoli (Team Rosso Corsa) ninth. Another wildcard Luca Ottaviano (SGM Tecnic) Yamaha rounded out the top 10.
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—World Supersport Qualifying
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Qualifying
A new track record from Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) saw him secure his first Superpole success of the 2019 season on the new Panigale V4R. His 1:45.180 lap was 0.127 seconds ahead of second placed rider Jonathan Rea (KRT) but a huge 0.901 seconds ahead of his team-mate and championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
The next rider up, an improving Leon Haslam (KRT), was 1.108 seconds behind Davies and just ahead of his fellow countryman Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in fifth.
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) placed sixth, with his team-mate Markus Reiterberger just one place behind.
Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) secured eighth place on the grid with a late charge that put independent rider Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) back to ninth, but still on row three.
The top ten was rounded out by a determined Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha) after an incident-packed three-part Superpole in which two red flags were thrown.
An oil plume after a technical problem for the Barni Ducati of Michael Ruben Rinaldi saw him finally crash at turn five and a double crash shortly after the restart at turn two, from Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) and Cortese both off at turn two just as a second red flag was shown.
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Qualifying
2019 Imola WorldSBK—Friday Qualifying
Having led the morning session at Imola Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) also went fastest in the afternoon to top the 2019 Imola WorldSBK results on Friday, with a 1:46.374 that put him 0.155 seconds ahead of his closest rival.
Second up was a factory Ducati rider but this time it was Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who was top V4R competitor.
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) proved to be third fastest at a track with 22 corners along its length and no really long straights.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fourth quickest in his first competitive visit to Imola, after a recent test session here.
Privateer Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) was on top form, running out fifth at his team’s home round.
Sixth place went to Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) the top Yamaha rider today, while Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) was seventh. Another British rider, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), placed eighth.
Wildcard rider Lorenzo Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing Ducati) was an excellent ninth, one place ahead of another local rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team Ducati).
Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) was 15th and top Honda rider.
The luckless Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) crashed hard after a highside and broke both his wrists. He is expected to have surgery on them in Spain on Saturday 11th May.
2019 Imola WorldSBK Results—Friday Qualifying
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