Gordon Ritchie | October 12, 2019
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—Race Two
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) won the final race at the Villicum circuit today as Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) proved to be the lone V4R rider challenging him near the end.
Davies was eventually second, over five seconds back, despite an early three-rider breakaway by Rea.
Final third place rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) were also part of the early group.
Rea had a 1.2 second lead by lap three but when Bautista joined him and the fight started. The Ducati rider then led, only to run wide and see Rea right with him again. A hard pass by Rea into the left hand hairpin put the green bike back ahead, with the leading bunch also containing
Razgatlioglu and the onrushing Davies.
The Welsh rider passed his Turkish rival and set about the leading two at very strong pace with 12 laps to go.
Passing Bautista, Rea was just too far ahead and too consistent in his fast pace to be caught.
With Razgatlioglu third, Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) caught and passed Bautista, who had Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) with him right to the end.
VDM was fourth, Bautista fifth and Lowes sixth.
Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) had a storming ride to seventh, with local hero Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) rubbing elbows with some star names at home and finishing up eighth.
Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was ninth and a struggling Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) tenth.
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—Race Two
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Race
The WorldSSP race in Argentina provided yet another talking point, all positive this time, as the championship fight will go to the final round in Qatar in two week’s time.
And it is still open to three riders, not just the expected two.
Pole man Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) led the early stages until eventual winner Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) pushed past and ran clear, at lap record pace for a time, to lead. He finally won by 2.406 seconds from Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and 3.473 from Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing Yamaha).
Cluzel’s 1’42.670 on lap five added to his own advantage and he moved to nearly a three second margin on lap nine of 19. Mahias would improve that lap record again on lap ten, to a 1’42.606.
Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha), one of the main challengers for ultimate glory, got to second on lap six ahead of the combative Mahias. Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha), the championship leader, was fifth, and in contention for a podium at half race distance.
With all riders on A fronts and rears, standard SC1s and SC0s respectively, it was just riders against the track and each other.
A pass on Caricasulo sent him down to fifth place, as Krummenacher pushed up to third, with six to go.
Vinales was aggressive in his passes on both Caricasulo and then Krummenacher, allowing Caricasulo to get into Krummenacher’s slipstream.
The pass from the Italian came with just under two laps to go, as he dived inside Krummenacher and they touched, pushing the Swiss rider wide and losing him two positions.
Some hard overtakes near the end dropped the two Bardahl riders to eventual fifth and seventh place finishes, meaning that Cluzel’s win left him with a very slim chance of the title.
Perolari was fourth, and the slow starting Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) sixth.
Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing Yamaha) was eighth, Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) ninth and Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) tenth.
In the championship standings, with one round left, Krummenacher has 202 points, Caricasulo 194 and Cluzel – 22 behind the lead – on 180.
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Race
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—Superpole Race
A new lap record of 1:37.472 on lap three helped Jonathan Rea (KRT) secure another race win in his fifth straight championship season, beating Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) by 2.140 seconds in relatively cool but blustery conditions.
After the heat and controversy of day one Rea’s new lap record – a new track best in fact – showed that when in better condition than day one the new asphalt was capable of delivering fast on times on the cleaner racing line.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) was again a podium finisher, 3.6 seconds down on Rea.
Rea scooped the Superpole Award for 2019 overall as a result of his win, as this Tissot-Superpole race is also ‘qualifying’ for grid spots the final race of the weekend.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), one of the six riders who missed out on the first race due to the poor track conditions, was fourth, after an early scare when colliding with another rider.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) kept up his third place status with fifth today, heading of his closest challenger and team-mate Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team).
A lonely race from Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha) saw him finish seventh with Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) winning a fight with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
Local rider Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) made a strong push to finish tenth, passing Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) in the latter stages. Eighteen of the 19 starting riders finished, but Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) crashed out of the race.
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—Superpole Race
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—Race One
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) battled for the race win in a race mired in controversy even before it started, with Bautista eventually breaking free to win his 16th race of the year – on his first visit to this circuit.
Six riders – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha), Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha), Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team), Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) and Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) decided not to race because of the track conditions, after numerous official and unofficial meetings before the green light.
Some riders did not want to race but were required to when the go ahead for the 21-lap contest was given—the six simply refused.
Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) took a head-knock in qualifying and did not start for a whole different reason.
Four riders were in the early leading group, with Bautista harried by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team).
They would finish in that order.
Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) tussled with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in the final laps, but it was Lowes who would finish fifth.
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was seventh, privateer Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) eighth, Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) ninth and Alessandro Delbianco (Althea MIE Racing Team Honda) 10th.
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—Race One
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Superpole
Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) made the best of the slippery rack conditions to record his first-ever WorldSSP pole position, at a hot Villicum circuit in Argentina.
His Yamaha was only 0.067 seconds ahead of the privateer Kawasaki of Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) in a close fight for the best starting position on Sunday.
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) placed third, just 0.136 seconds back from the lead.
British rider Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) placed fourth, for the best starting position on the second row.
A quick change of front forks before Superpole backfired for Magny Cours race winner Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing).
Championship leader Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) was sixth, with his championship rival Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) eighth. Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing Yamaha) split the Bardahl riders in seventh place after a hot and slippery Superpole.
Christian Stange (Gemar Ciociaria Corse Honda) was ninth and Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) rounded out the top ten.
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Superpole
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—Superpole
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made the most of his track time in the Tissot-Superpole qualifying session to take his fourth career WorldSBK pole position, from the greatly improved Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team).
On a track that offered up a clean racing line compared to the opening day, the rising afternoon track temperatures made Superpole slower than the morning FP3 session, making Bautista’s best Superpole time 1.7 seconds slower than the track best from 2018 of 1’39.012.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) was eventually third, running wide on the entry of Turn Seven as he looked on pace to go second.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) was fourth fastest, and another improving Yamaha rider, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) placed fifth today. Top three-man on Friday Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team Ducati) was sixth today, one place up on Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
On a day when Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was only 13th and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) 14th, Alessandro Delbianco (Althea MIE Racing Team Honda) was eighth.
Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha) and his team-mate Marco Melandri rounded out the top ten.
Stuck in pitlane local hero Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) did not set a qualifying time but is allowed to start the race having set good enough times in earlier sessions.
2019 Argentina World Superbike Results—Superpole
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