World SBK 2013 – Round 10 – Nurburgring
— Brits Tom Sykes and Chaz Davies on top of the Ring
Nurburgring (Germany), Sunday 1 September 2013 – Sunday at the Nurburgring was a day of exciting races and injury setbacks for some of the protagonists of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) scored one victory each on the Eifel venue, with the Huddersfield-born rider who regained the Championship lead by one point over Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), while the Welshman rode his S1000RR to first place for the first time after the double win at Aragon last April.
On the difficult side of the race day, Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team), Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) and Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) all had heavy crashes and got injured, with differing consequences.
Loris Baz, following the crash he had during the morning’s warm-up, was diagnosed with a fractured C2 vertebra, fortunately with no neurological issues. The young Frenchman is fully conscious, he talks and jokes with people who are with him and has full mobility of her body. Baz will remain under observation at Adenau’s Krakenhaus Maria hospital, that is located near the track, while waiting to be transferred and for the medical checks that will define the plans for recovery.
Jonathan Rea sustained a fractured left femur and he will undergo surgery tonight at the military hospital at Koblenz, in which he should stay for the next two or three days, but, even in this case, further updates are expected.
Good news from Leon Camier: after being immediately assessed at trackside by the medical staff he was then flown by Air Ambulance to Stiffungs Klinicum in Koblenz. Camier was observed and scanned for potential neck injuries, but the scans proved negative and he was given the all-clear despite the massive impact. He hopes to leave hospital later today and will assess his condition in the coming days to decide on his availability to ride at the next race.
Race 1
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) is the winner of the first eni FIM Superbike World Championship race at the Nurburgring. The race was red-flagged on the eighteenth lap as a result of two crashes that involved Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) and Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki), who both lost control of their bikes at Turn 9 on the oil left on track by Federico Sandi’s Team Pedercini ZX-10R broken engine.
Once the flag came out, Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) was on the lead after a successful overtake at the first turn but, as the final results were based on the previous lap, Sykes was awarded with the victory, with Melandri’s team mate Chaz Davies to complete the podium. The three riders, along with Rea, rode together up front, but it was Sykes who led almost the entire race, after overtaking Melandri at the second turn during the opening lap.
Championship leader Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) holds now only a single-point advantage on Sykes after finishing the race in fourth place, ahead of Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia), Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Aprilia) and Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike). Factory Aprilia rider Eugene Laverty ended up 15th after crashing out of Turn 4 in the early stages of the race, and rejoining following a pit-stop. Home rider Max Neukirchner (MR-Racing Ducati) had to withdraw from the race due to a technical problem occurred on the fourth lap.
Jonathan Rea and Leon Camier were both flown by helicopter to the hospital. Rea was diagnosed with a broken left femur, while Camier was sent for precautionary measure due to an injury on the top of his neck.
Race 1 results: 1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 17 Laps/87.329 km in 32’38.184 average 160.549 kph; 2. Melandri (BMW) 0.269; 3. Davies (BMW) 0.714; 4. Guintoli (Aprilia) 6.427; 5. Giugliano (Aprilia) 8.526; 6. Fabrizio (Aprilia) 13.234; 7. Haslam (Honda) 13.818; 8. Cluzel (Suzuki) 18.726; 9. Badovini (Ducati) 21.049; 10. Checa (Ducati) 22.774; 11. Aitchison (Kawasaki) 33.284; 12. Smrz (Yamaha) 48.329; 13. Reiterberger (BMW) 48.627; 14. Iannuzzo (BMW) 1’32.530; 15. Laverty (Aprilia) 2 Laps; RT. Rea (Honda) 0.976; RT. Camier (Suzuki) 6.677; RT. Sandi (Kawasaki); RT. Neukirchner (Ducati).
Race 2
Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) got back on the top step of the podium after winning the second race of the day, that was red-flagged on the nineteenth lap after wildcard Matej Smrz (Yamaha Motor Deutschland) suffered a high-side and landed on track next to his YZF-R1. The Welshman successfully defended the lead in the final laps in a three-way battle with second place Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) and team mate Marco Melandri. Davies was able to repeat exactly the same results scored last year in the two races, and achieved a long-awaited race win after the double victory at Aragon earlier in 2013.
Despite the absence of three top riders due to injuries sustained today – Loris Baz during the warm-up, Leon Camier and Jonathan Rea in first race – Race 2 was characterised by a fierce battle up front for the win. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) finished fourth and fifth respectively, after being very close to the front for most of the 18 laps completed. The two riders, though, could not manage to get in the mix for the top-3, as well as sixth place Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Team Aprilia), who lost a lot of ground in the closing stages.
Top-10 was completed by Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare), Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Aprilia) and Max Neukirchner (MR-Racing Ducati), with Badovini’s team mate Carlos Checa in eleventh place. Jules Cluzel’s performance was hampered by a temporary technical problem, as the FIXI Crescent Suzuki rider was able to rejoin and to end up fifteenth.
Sykes and Guintoli are still separated by one point, but the factory Kawasaki rider is now the new leader in the standings, at the end of the tenth round of the season.
Tom Sykes: “It is very difficult to tell if I could have come back at Marco in the last two laps of race but the decision to stop the race has gone in our favour for a change. I was expecting probably a few more points in race two but it is racing and things like this happen. It seems that we had some limitations in that race, which is a shame because over race distance I was 100% confident in myself. It was important to keep Sylvain Guintoli behind me in that second race as we saw how every point counts last year.”
Chaz Davies: “I am obviously super happy with the victory in race two. I was already happy with my podium in race one but I knew we could improve and so we did. We were just slightly struggling in a couple of areas but we worked on that for the second race. The last couple of laps I just put my head down seeing if I could just get away. In the end the red flag came and I was in right place at the right time. A big Thank you to my team as they did a great job this weekend and we got a double podium again.”
Results: 1. Davies (BMW) 18 Laps/92.466 km in 34’36.933 average 160.274 kph; 2. Laverty (Aprilia) 0.132; 3. Melandri (BMW) 0.366; 4. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1.189; 5. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1.621; 6. Giugliano (Aprilia) 3.233; 7. Badovini (Ducati) 14.677; 8. Fabrizio (Aprilia) 18.859; 9. Neukirchner (Ducati) 22.125; 10. Checa (Ducati) 23.828; 11. Aitchison (Kawasaki) 30.444; 12. Reiterberger (BMW) 36.419; 13. Haslam (Honda) 59.787; 14. Cluzel (Suzuki) 1’05.331; 15. Iannuzzo (BMW) 1’27.381; RT. Smrz (Yamaha) 53.782; RT. Sandi (Kawasaki).
Standings – provisional (round 10 of 14)*: 1. Sykes 287; 2. Guintoli 286; 3. Melandri 257; 4. Laverty 247; 5. Davies 221; 6. Baz 180; 7. Rea 176; 8. Fabrizio 156; 9. Cluzel 123; 10. Giugliano 121; 11. Camier 114; 12. Badovini 107; 13. Neukirchner 84; 14. Checa 80; 15. Haslam 63; 16. Sandi 36; 17. Iannuzzo 18; 18. Clementi 18; 19. Aitchison 15; 20. Canepa 11; 21. Lundh 10; 22. Lai 8; 23. Reiterberger 7; 24. Allerton 6; 25. Smrz 4; 26. Stauffer 4; 27. Akiyoshi 2; 28. Haga 2. Manufacturers 1. Aprilia 369; 2. Kawasaki 341; 3. BMW 321; 4. Honda 201; 5. Suzuki 175; 6. Ducati 144; 7. Yamaha 4.
— World Supersport
Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) has scored probably the most important win of the season so far, as he crossed the line a lonely first at the Nurburgring , while main rival for the World Supersport title Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) was out of contention from Lap 10, after crashing out of the second turn.
Lowes didn’t get the best start off pole, but in just two laps he was able to make his way back onto the lead, though unable to pull away at first from the reigning Champion. Once Sofuoglu pulled out of the race, his team mate Fabien Foret was unable to keep the pace of the Brit, so for the points leader it was only a matter of maintaining the gap up to the finish line. Lowes is now 54 points ahead of Sofuoglu in the standings, and could be crowned champion already after the Turkish rider’s home round scheduled for September 15th.
Kev Coghlan (DMC-Lorenzini Kawasaki) made an impressive recovery throughout the last part of the race to get his maiden WSS podium finish of his career, after getting the better of Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport) in the closing stages. Vladimir Leonov (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha), on the other hand, was in third place when he suffered a technical problem during the fifteenth lap.
Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport) did a competitive second part of the race and climbed up to fifth ahead of Riccardo Russo (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki), Roberto Tamburini (Team Lorini Honda) and Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda).
Results: 1. Lowes (Yamaha) 19 Laps/97.603 km in 37’44.290 average 155.179 kph; 2. Foret (Kawasaki) 7.481; 3. Coghlan (Kawasaki) 11.393; 4. Zanetti (Honda) 12.250; 5. Vd Mark (Honda) 15.408; 6. Russo (Kawasaki) 16.243; 7. Tamburini (Honda) 16.338; 8. Kennedy (Honda) 20.086; 9. Salom (Kawasaki) 21.569; 10. Marino (Kawasaki) 21.837; 11. Baldolini (Suzuki) 22.195; 12. Iddon (MV Agusta) 30.430; 13. Scassa (Kawasaki) 30.539; 14. De Rosa (Honda) 31.371; 15. Rolfo (MV Agusta) 34.214; etc.
Standings (round 10 out of 13): 1. Lowes 185; 2. Sofuoglu 131; 3. Foret 121; 4. Vd Mark 91; 5. Zanetti 86; 6. Scassa 69; 7. Kennedy 64; 8. Antonelli 55; 9. Marino 53; 10. Coghlan 51; 11. Rolfo 51; 12. Leonov 48; 13. Russo 38; 14. Morais 36; 15. Iddon 29; 16. Baldolini 24; 17. Salom 19; 18. Ivanov 18; 19. De Rosa 18; 20. Roccoli 18; 21. Tamburini 17; 22. Marconi 17; 23. Richards 6; 24. Scholtz 6; 25. Talmacsi 4; 26. Menghi 3; 27. Linortner 2. Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 200; 2. Yamaha 193; 3. Honda 126; 4. MV Agusta 61; 5. Suzuki 26; 6. Triumph 6.
— Superstock 1000
Leandro Mercado (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) has won his first ever FIM Superstock 1000 Cup race today at the Nurburgring. The 21 year old from Cordoba, Argentina, led the race for the most part and he was trying to pull away in the early stages, but he was then caught up first by Niccolò Canepa (Barni Racing Ducati) and then by Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad GoldBet). The reigning Champion, after a poor start of the race from pole, had a shot at the lead towards the end of the race but Mercado was able to pass him at the “NGK” chicane and defend the position up to the chequered flag.
Canepa, who was in contention for the win, lost some ground in during the final lap and had to settle for third, while Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) went wide at Turn 1 entering the final tour and missed the chance for a podium finish. Thanks to the 2nd place achieved today, Barrier puts on hand on the title as he leads the standings with a 40 point advantage over Canepa, with 2 races left to be contested.
Race results: 1. Mercado (Kawasaki) 11 Laps/56.507 km in 21’50.664 average 155.208 kph; 2. Barrier (BMW) 0.171; 3. Canepa (Ducati) 0.343; 4. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 3.818; 5. Lanusse (Kawasaki) 8.068; 6. Jezek (Ducati) 8.961; 7. Savadori (Kawasaki) 9.207; 8. Massei (Honda) 12.635; 9. Bussolotti (BMW) 12.786; 10. Bergman (Kawasaki) 14.918; 11. Gildenhuys (BMW) 17.495; 12. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 17.670; 13. Grotzkyj G. (Kawasaki) 18.418; 14. Moser (Ducati) 25.843; 15. Pagaud (Kawasaki) 25.894; etc.
Standings (round 8 of 10): 1. Barrier 165; 2. Canepa 125; 3. Mercado 115; 4. Guarnoni 103; 5. La Marra 85; 6. Savadori 82; 7. Jezek 71; 8. Lanusse 51; 9. Bussolotti 50; 10. Andreozzi 47; 11. Lussiana 43; 12. Bergman 31; 13. Massei 29; 14. Gildenhuys 27; 15. Ponsson 18; etc. Manufacturers: 1. BMW 176; 2. Kawasaki 148; 3. Ducati 146; 4. Honda 31; 5. Suzuki 5.
— European Junior Cup
The 6th race of the PATA European Junior Cup, powered by Honda provided another thrilling climax to a race that nobody could predict the winner as the race entered its final lap. As the pack reached the final turn it was Bo Bendsneijder (RT Racing Support), at his second wildcard appearance in the series, who took the lead, holding a slender advantage to claim his 2nd win of the year. Kevin Manfredi (Newton Trasformatori Srl) and Robin Anne (Anne Formation completed the podium.
Results: 1. Bendsneijder (Honda) 8 Laps/41.096 km in 18’47.698 average 131.193 kph; 2. Manfredi (Honda) 0.058; 3. Anne (Honda) 0.835; 4. Harland (Honda) 1.031; 5. Flitcroft (Honda) 1.095; 6. Lewis (Honda) 1.174; 7. Orellana (Honda) 13.452; 8. Pittet (Honda) 13.641; 9. Soomer (Honda) 13.681; 10. Odegard (Honda) 16.161; 11. Sebestyen (Honda) 16.616; 12. Schultheiss (Honda) 16.681; 13. Raymond (Honda) 20.925; 14. Hubner (Honda) 43.859; 15. Rusmiputro (Honda) 44.100; etc.
Standings (Round 6 of 8): 1. Lewis 76; 2. Anne 72; 3. Raymond 59; 4. Flitcroft 56; 5. Canducci 55; 6. Bendsneijder 50; 7. Manfredi 50; 8. Fernandez 46; 9. Sebestyen 40; 10. Orellana 40; 11. Pittet 37; 12. Bodis 36; 13. Harland 30; 14. Fernandez 28; 15. Levy 27; etc.
— Cup of Nations
Sebastian Zielinski has won the Cup of Nations final race of the year at the Nurburgring. The wildcard from Poland led the entire race to finish ahead of Tommaso Lorenzetti and Daniel Tibaldo, both riders of the Nuova F.C.C. Corse Yamaha Team. Sixth place Domenico Fasanella, full-time entry, was awarded the winner of the 2013 edition of the Cup.
— HRC Report
The tenth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship saw Leon Haslam fight hard to take a seventh and then a 13th place after two dry weather races which were red flagged for oil spills late in their duration. Race one was taken by new championship leader Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) while race two went to BMW rider Chaz Davies.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) was looking good for a podium finish while sitting in fourth place in race one, until a crash on oil saw him slide into the trackside barrier at high speed and break his left femur. He was followed into the gravel by Leon Camier (Suzuki) shortly afterwards, before the race was stopped. The result was counted back to the positions at the end of the 17th lap, minus the riders who fell.
Rea is now in hospital in Koblenz where he is hoping to have a pin inserted in the broken femur later tonight. Jonathan had qualified fifth and started fourth after the withdrawal of Loris Baz (Kawasaki) following an injury the French rider had suffered in the morning warm-up. Rea looked comfortable in the race behind the leading trio before his crash and felt he had a strong raceday package.
Haslam was seventh in race one but he fell at turn eight on lap six of race two, but he got going again albeit in last position. He clawed his way back to a points scoring position in 13th, but was frustrated to lose the chance of another high scoring ride. He is now 15th in the overall rankings.
An eventful 19-lap tenth round of the FIM Supersport World Championship saw Lorenzo Zanetti the top placed Honda CBR600RR rider, fourth and less than a second from a podium finish. His team-mate Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) was one place behind but could also have challenged for a top three place had he not qualified 12th, and then dropped to 16th at one stage during the race.
Zanetti is still recovering from surgery following a crash in round eight, and he also caught a virus on Saturday, sapping his energy at what is a very physically demanding circuit, with heavy braking zones and many chicanes to muscle his way through.
For van der Mark he felt continued frustration at not qualifying as well as he would like but he is enthused by the race pace he and his team have found in the CBR600RR once races get underway.
The 19-lap German race was won by hot championship favourite Sam Lowes (Yamaha) who saw his main rival Kenan Sofuoglu fall while trying to keep pace with him. Lowes has a 54 point advantage with only three races and a maximum of 75 points up for grabs to any rider who wins all three, starting at the next round in Turkey.
Roberto Tamburini (Lorini Honda) had a great ride to seventh after qualifying ninth while Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda) recovered from a poor start to take eighth place, the last Honda rider in the top ten.
Ronan Quarmby (PRORACE Honda) looked set for as top five placing until his bike stopped on lap six, meaning the final Honda rider in the points was team Lorini Rider Raffaele De Rosa, 14th.
Danny Webb (PTR Honda) took his first ride in WSS today, after moving from Moto3, and he finished 23rd. Luca Marconi (PTR Honda) was disappointed to be 22nd in Germany as he recovery his form after injury, while Imre Toth (Racing Team Toth Honda) was 25th and Matt Davies (Team Honda PTR) also missed out on points in 26th place.
The next round, for Superbike and Supersport classes, will be held at the Istanbul Park, Turkey, on September 15.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) – Race result: DNF / DNS Championship position: 7th – “I’ve felt better, but I’m hoping to get the leg pinned later tonight so hopefully I can be home in a few days and start the recovery as soon as possible. It’s unbelievable what was happening with the flags in the race because I saw an oil flag at turn six but then nothing at turn seven or after that. I went down at the fast left at turn eight and, unfortunately, I stayed conscious throughout so I can remember everything. I was feeling pretty good before then and, although I didn’t have the pace to pass the guys in front it was clear I had the best package and, although it was late in the race, I still had good grip levels. Until I hit the oil.”
Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) – Race result: 7th / 13th Championship position: 15th – “It’s been a bit of a disaster, really. I felt pretty good all weekend and we made some good steps, but in race one we had an electronics issue, which kind of determined the result. In race two we made some good changes that allowed me to hold on to the leading group. But I just pushed the front a bit too hard and went down. So it was frustrating because I had a really good feeling on Saturday afternoon but, after changing the engine last night, I never got the feeling back. I really felt we had the pace for a podium this weekend, so it’s a bit frustrating. Of course, I wish Johnny [Rea] all the best for a quick recovery and we’ll try to get some better results in Turkey.”
Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) – Race result: 5th Championship position: 4th – “I must be really happy in some ways because I came from 16th place but I am disappointed because I felt I could go at a pace for the podium again. My start was not so good and another rider made a stupid action in front of me so I lost a few points again. We need to find a way to be near the front at the beginning because my pace was good and I hope next race we can be on the podium again.”
Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) – Race result: 4th Championship position: 5th – “When I arrived here I was not 100% after surgery and on Saturday I caught the ‘flu! I was not in good condition and before the start I had some treatment in the Clinica. I also decided to change the entire front suspension because I did not have a great feeling with the other set-up, so I did not know how it would work in the race. But I think it was the right decision we made with the team. I made a mistake two laps from the end and I lost the podium chance, but I think this was a positive race.”
Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda) Race result: 8th Championship position: 7th – “A bad start has cost us what could have been our best result of the season so far. I felt confident and I knew we could be consistent as we proved by fighting from 15th at turn one to 8th position at the end. We were setting as good a pace as the front runners so we have to take the many positives from this weekend to the next race.”
Danny Webb (PTR Honda) Race result: 23rd Championship position: NA – “It was a good experience and I learnt loads in the race. The main thing is I need to learn to use new tyres because I am doing the same lap times at the start and end of the race. It has been a good weekend for my first time on the bike. I’d like to thank PTR for getting my bike ready after a warm up crash, the team is awesome and I am looking forward to Turkey.”
— Yamaha Report
Yakhnich Yamaha World Supersport rider Sam Lowes took another step closer to championship victory today after scoring his fifth win of the season at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany, round ten of the World Supersport Championship.
Lowes made a less than perfect start from pole, his eighth of the season, but recovered well and had pushed his YZF-R6 back into the lead of the race by the third lap. By mid race he had built a comfortable lead over Championship rival Kenan Sofuoglu who then crashed out, allowing Lowes to cruise to his fifth win of 2013.
Teammate Vladimir Leonov was close to joining Lowes on the Nurburgring podium. Having qualified well and started from fourth, Leonov was running in third after Sofuoglu crashed out and a podium finish was on the cards until a technical issue forced him to retire with just four laps remaining, relinquishing third place in the process.
The victory puts Lowes on 185 points, 54 clear of Sofuoglu with four races remaining. Teammate Leonov sits in 12th on 48 points, 3 behind Roberto Rolfo in 11th. The team now move to Istanbul for the next race on 15th September.
Sam Lowes – “I would just like to say I don’t like to win a race like that, Kenan was pushing hard and I didn’t want to see him crash. Even after what has happened after the last few races I like battling with him. I want to win this championship a lot but I don’t want it to hinge on a mistake by him. Racing is racing; I knew that if I stuck to my pace it would be hard for him. I saw the gap get a little bit bigger, then he pushed on and made a mistake. I want to thank my team who gave me a fantastic bike today and thank you to Yamaha for helping out as well. It’s been a great weekend, hopefully I can carry that on for the next few races.”
— BMW Report
The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team celebrated a successful home round at Nürburgring (GER), including a victory and four podium finishes in total. Factory rider Chaz Davies (GBR) won the second of today’s races with his BMW S 1000 RR after finishing third in race one. His team-mate Marco Melandri (ITA) finished second and third. Thus, the team set a new record: for the first time ever in the FIM Superbike World Championship, BMW Motorrad had both riders on the podium in both races. In addition, Chaz claimed the fastest lap in race two. Collectively, Chaz and Marco achieved 77 points today, equaling the best ever result of BMW Motorrad in the series.
After ten of 14 rounds of the season, the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team is second in the Team standings with 478 points. In the Riders’ classification, Marco improved to third with 257 points, reducing the gap to the front to 30 points. Chaz is fifth with 221 points, 66 points behind the lead. In the Manufacturers’ ranking, BMW is third with 321 points and a gap of 48 points to the top.
In race one, both BMW factory riders had a good start to lay the foundations for a strong result. Marco, who came from second, took the lead shortly but then dropped back to second when he was overtaken by Tom Sykes (GBR). Chaz, who started from sixth, moved to third at the first corner. Throughout the race, both riders stayed in touch with race leader, Sykes. On lap 13, Chaz passed Marco to take second but two laps later Marco returned the favour. The BMW duo caught up with Sykes and in the first corner of the penultimate lap, Marco passed him to take the lead. Chaz also prepared for overtaking his fellow Brit but then the race had to be red-flagged after Jonathan Rea and Leon Camier (both GBR) had heavily crashed due to oil on the track. Thus, the ranking from the previous lap counted as the final race result, with Sykes classified the winner in front of Marco and Chaz.
Race two was another thriller, with a BMW rider leading from the start to the end. It was a nail-biting fight for victory, with the top 6 close together in battle. Marco took the lead at the start, while Chaz moved to second straight away. The BMW Duo were closely followed by their competitors but also fought for P1 between themselves. On lap 7, Chaz took the lead while Marco slipped back to third on lap 10 as he was passed by Eugene Laverty (IRL). However, the Italian fought back and by the end of lap 14, entering lap 15 Marco took just a few corners to pass Laverty and then Chaz and to retake the lead. The fight was not over, as Chaz passed his team-mate again on lap 16, heading the field for the second time in this race. On lap 18, Marco lost second position to Laverty but everything was still open as the gaps were minimal. One lap later, this race also had to be red flagged due to a crash. Chaz won, Laverty was came second and Marco was third on the podium.
In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, Sylvain Barrier from the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team extended his lead in the overall Riders’ classification. The Frenchman finished today’s exciting race second on the podium with his BMW HP4, missing victory only by one tenth of a second. With two more rounds to go, Sylvain now tops the ranking with 165 points and has an advantage of 40 points to his closest rival. His team-mate Greg Gildenhuys (RSA) finished 11th. In the Manufacturers’ classification, BMW leads with an advantage of 28 points.
Chaz Davies: “I am obviously super happy with the victory in race two. I was already happy with my podium in race one but I knew we could improve and so we did. In race one, I made the start I was hoping for coming from the second row of the grid and I was racing in the leading group with Marco and Tom. In the early stages, Tom put some really good pace at the front. Generally, the bike was working really well as it has done all weekend. We were just slightly struggling in a couple of areas which cost me a bit on acceleration but we worked on that for race two.
“We definitely made a step in the right direction. I felt that my RR was a little bit better in certain areas of the track. It was still hard to brake but I tried all I could do to build a bit of a gap. It was a good battle with Eugene and Marco. The last couple of laps I just put my head down seeing if I could just get away from the guys fighting behind me. I was thinking that there couldn’t be another red flag but just in case I tried to stay in the lead. In the end the red flag came and I was in right place at the right time. A big Thank you to my team; they did a great job this weekend and we got a double podium again. I wish all the best and a speedy recovery to the guys that got injured today.”
Marco Melandri: “I’ve never seen a red flag at the end of both races in my life. It was a shame because in race one I was leading and race two I was third but I am sure that it would have been a great final lap because all three of us were trying to win and everyone was pushing hard. The red flag was not on my side today and as a consequence I had no chance to make use of the opportunities we had and this is frustrating, but these are the rules. I am so sorry for the guys that crashed and got injured because they had much more bad luck than me. All the best and a speedy recovery to all of them! For sure I can be happy because we have shown that we are strong but at the same time I am disappointed because I did not get as many points as I could have. The championship is still very open and I have reduced the gap to the front. So in general it was a good weekend for us and we are looking forward to the next rounds. Now we are going to tracks that I really like and I am sure that today’s disappointment will only give me even more motivation.”
Andrea Buzzoni (General Manager BMW Motorrad WSBK): “It has been an extraordinary weekend. For the first time in the history of BMW in the Superbike World Championship, we got a ‘double, double podium’ and we are honoured to have achieved this success at BMW’s home race. The result confirms that the team is continuing to work hard and retain concentration to achieve the best possible result in this championship. With today’s victory, the sixth of the season, we matched last year’s number of wins. Both Marco and Chaz are consistently reducing the gap to the top of the overall ranking and they also demonstrated that they are able to fight for the title. This shows the strength of BMW, of the team and of our guys.
In the Superstock series, the team did a great job and Sylvain demonstrated great maturity. He had a difficult start but was able to close the gap and manage the race, achieving an important second place which brings him closer and closer to the title.”
Andrea Dosoli (Technical Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team): “It has been a great day. Both races were very exciting and we got almost the maximum we could expect having both riders on the podium in both races. This was the right way to respond after the issues we experienced in Silverstone and I must say a big thank you to everyone at BMW Motorrad and in the team for the great job they have done. Both crews have worked very well on improving the machines. Practice by practice we went faster in the dry and in the wet. Only unlucky circumstances prevented us from winning both races but this is racing and what we have achieved today is important. We have closed the gap to our competitors and we have proven that our RR is improving and is a winning package. So now we are looking forward to the next races with strong motivation. Everyone is focused knowing that we have the right package to win as many races as possible.”
— Aprilia Racing
Two red flags due to oil on the track, both during the penultimate lap, stopped the World Superbike races at the Nürburgring. A blown out engine for Sandi first and a crash by Smrz in the second forced Race Direction to end the competitions a lap early.
While the finishing order had all but been decided when Race 1 was suspended, in the second race the duels between Davies and Eugene Laverty for first place and between Sylvain Guintoli and Sykes for fourth place were just heating up. In fact, the red flag kept the Aprilia Racing Team standard bearers from a direct attack on their rivals at the chequered flag.
After a difficult Superpole Sylvain Guintoli got off to a good start in both races, immediately gaining positions. After successfully fending off attacks by Giugliano and Camier, Sylvain’s race for the podium stopped short at fourth place in Race 1. In the penultimate lap an oil leak caused Rea and Camier to crash, unfortunately injured in the accident, putting an end to the race and deciding the finishing order. Race 2 followed a similar script, at least in the first part. With an excellent start followed by a series of fast laps, the French rider had closed the gap with the leading pack, nipping at Sykes’ heels during the final laps. Just as the duel was about to start in earnest, a crash by wild card Smrz with fluids leaking onto the track from his bike put an end to the race a lap early. Thanks to his fifth place finish, Sylvain is now in second place in the rider standings, just one point behind Sykes.
Sylvain Guintoli: “This was a difficult weekend on a very physical track. In Race 1 I couldn’t find my rhythm in the first laps, dropping behind the leaders and having to ride alone, fending off attacks. In Race 2 the changes we made to my RSV4 really worked well. I pushed hard to catch Sykes up and when I did my plan was to attack in the last lap, but unfortunately the red flag stopped the race. My only consolation is that my shoulder responded well. I was able to push hard all the way to the end in both races without serious problems. It hurts now, but as long as I’m on the bike everything is OK. We’ll go to Turkey as pursuers, but it’s a track that I like where I think I can make a good play for it just as well as the other four or five riders who have proven to be consistently fast”
It was a double-sided weekend for Eugene Laverty. Starting from the twelfth spot on the grid, the Northern Irish rider also had two good starts. However, his comeback in Race 1 was interrupted in the fourth lap when a crash forced him to head back to the garage. After the damage to his bike was repaired Eugene went back out, ending the race in fifteenth place and earning one point. In Race 2 Eugene unleashed his potential from the start, reaching the podium range within a few laps where he engaged in battle first with Sykes and then with Melandri, overtaking them both and setting his sights on frontrunner Davies. All signs pointed to an assault in the final laps, just when the red flag that ratified a second place finish for Eugene came out.
Eugene Laverty: “It was a shame about the red flag in Race 2 when I was about to attack Chaz Davies for first place. I’m not saying I would have won it, but I would have had a go. The crash in Race 1 created a bit of a mess. I want to battle for the Championship and mistakes like that one can be costly. When you start so far back on the grid there’s a lot more pressure and with that comes the risk of making some mistakes. We definitely will not be able to make any more slip ups for the rest of the season. All told we haven’t lost too much ground behind the Championship leaders but we’ve got a hard battle ahead.”
— Fixi Crescent Suzuki
FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier was challenging for a great finish in race one of today’s eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Nurburgring until a massive crash brought his race and weekend to a premature end.
Starting from 10th on the grid Camier got a solid start and was ninth at the end of the first-lap. He then caught and passed Leon Haslam and Davide Giugliano to make his way up to sixth, but as the Englishman was sizing-up to pass Sylvain Guintoli for fifth position, he hit a patch of oil on the track that had spilled from a recently-crashed bike. He lost control of his machine in the high-speed left-hander and crashed hard and was immediately assessed at trackside by the medical staff and was then flown by Air Ambulance to Stiffungs Klinicum in Koblenz. Camier was observed and scanned for potential neck injuries, but the scans proved negative and he was given the all-clear despite the massive impact. He hopes to leave hospital later today and will assess his condition in the coming days to decide on his availability to ride at the next race. Jonathan Rea of the Pata Honda team also crashed at the same spot as Camier, due to the spilt oil. He was airlifted to hospital with a broken left femur and the whole FIXI Crescent Suzuki team wishes him well for a speedy recovery. The race was red-flagged after the crash and due to Camier’s inability to return to the pits he was excluded from the results.
Jules Cluzel had a tough afternoon that resulted in an eighth place in race one and a 14th in the second event after he was forced to stop when the bike cut-out on lap-16. Cluzel had to pull-off the track to re-start his machine and managed to finish the race in a points-scoring position, but was not too happy with his weekend’s work.
The Yoshimura-powered FIXI Crescent Suzuki will next be in action at Istanbul Park when World Superbikes makes its first visit to Turkey on the weekend of September 13th and 15th.
Jules Cluzel: “It has been a hard weekend for us, but we learnt a lot in race one and I was looking for some more improvements in the second race. I felt quite good for the first four or five laps of race one, but when my tyre dropped, the bike felt unstable and was difficult to ride, so I was quite happy to get eighth. The second race was similar to the first, but I had a massive high-side and nearly crashed on the first lap, so I realised the grip was less than race one and I tried to do my best – but it was really hard. We improved a bit with the stability out of the turns, so this is a good point and we don’t have to forget this weekend because we have to work after this and learn. I was disappointed at the end of the race, because I think I could have got eighth or ninth, but the bike stopped due to an electronic problem, so I pulled-over and managed to restart and I finished much lower than I wanted to. It was a bit of a bad weekend, but Leon had more bad luck and I hope he is ok and he can come back soon and we can fight together at a good pace in the next race.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager: “At Silverstone earlier this month the FIXI Crescent Suzuki showed its potential and again here Leon raced right on the pace of the podium battle, but the frightening accident with two laps to go in race one, put everything into perspective and meant that our only focus was on Leon’s condition – which initially was very concerning. It’s important to be calm in these situations, but we do have concerns as to why the bike that caused the oil slick was even out there on the track, given certain information that we have, and why there wasn’t clear warning of the oil for the approaching riders or even a red flag – as there was in race two. We’ll speak to the Race Direction to see if these matters can be explained and hopefully improved in the future. The team is relieved that Leon’s injuries don’t appear to be too serious, but we also send our best wishes to Johnny Rea who also through no fault of his own was involved in the crash.
“Looking forward, Jules has raced at the Istanbul Park circuit in the MotoGP™ series and loves the track and we hope that we will be able to put what was a tough couple of races behind him and get back to the rhythm of the fastest riders in Turkey. As for Leon, we will make sure that he is able to recover sufficiently and we will make an announcement as soon as possible regarding his participation. We all really hope he’ll be there; he is getting everything out of the GSX-R and challenging the best riders and teams out there.”
— Kawasaki Report
Tom Sykes took his official Kawasaki Racing Team Ninja ZX-10R to a win and a fourth place finish at the Nürburgring to regain the championship lead after a raceday that Loris Baz was forced out of
In race one Sykes was the leader for every lap in the final race classification, and although he had been passed by Marco Melandri near the end of the scheduled 20 laps, the red flag was shown for an oil spill and two subsequent crashes just behind the leading trio.
Sykes was awarded the race one win on the count back rules, which discount the lap the race was stopped on. As he was the leader on lap 17, Tom took the win.
In race two Sykes found his machine set-up not quite as effective as it had been in race one and although he was in the leading group throughout he could not get to the front. Another red flag, for a crashed machine’s spilt oil, stopped the race at the 18-lap stage this time, with Sykes fourth and only 1.189 seconds behind the winner.
KRT rider Loris Baz had been on strong form all weekend but suffered a high-speed crash going into the final chicane in morning warm-up. He was taken to hospital where it was found he had suffered a fractured C2 vertebra but without suffering any neurological complications or spinal injury. After reaching hospital he was awake, alert and making jokes with his medical team. He will remain in hospital in Germany for 24 Hours to allow a specialist to see him on Monday. A decision will be taken then to see if he needs further treatment or just time to rest and recuperate.
Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) finished each Nürburgring race in 11th place. Federico Sandi (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) did not finish either German race.
In the championship fight Sykes now leads Sylvain Guintoli by one point, 287 to 286, with four rounds and eight races remaining.
Leandro Mercado (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) scored his first ever win in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup category in the 11-lap race in Germany and in doing so is now third in the championship, with two races remaining. Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) took fourth place today while Romain Lanusse (Team MRS Kawasaki) went fifth.
Tom Sykes: “It is very difficult to tell if I could have come back at Marco in the last two laps of race one but when he passed me I was preparing to push the pace a bit more. I am sure all three or four of us in the front group were able to improve our lap times right at the end but the decision to stop the race has gone in our favour for a change. I will take the result and I am very happy for the 25 points. It was the first time all weekend we have had a small issue with the bike set-up. I went to bed last night expecting probably a few more points in race two but it is racing and things like this happen. It seems that we had some limitations in that race, which is a shame because over race distance I was 100% confident in myself, in the Ninja ZX-10R that we could make 1’54 laps even at the end. We proved that through practice this weekend. I think we know where we can improve and I am very happy to have the people around me that I have. It was important to keep Sylvain Guintoli behind me in that second race as we saw how every point counts last year. It adds to the end of season points basket and after this weekend we are leading the championship again.”
Kawasaki Mahi Racing Team India riders Fabien Foret and Kenan Sofuoglu had very differing fortunes the Nürburgring as Kevin Coghlan (Kawasaki DMC-Lorenzini) scored his first WSS podium in third.
Foret finished an eventual convincing second and was in a podium place for the whole 19-lap race, tucked in behind Sofuoglu on lap one until Lowes went past a lap later. By half race distance Foret had a 3.4 second advantage over the following rider, and realising he could not affect the pace of the race winner Sam Lowes he rode to take the 20 points for second place.
Sofuoglu set a new lap record twice, the final new best coming on lap eight, a 1’58.072 in his pursuit of race leader Lowes. Kenan, behind in the points battle before raceday started, was determined to win and simply pushed too hard. He was unable to restart after he fell at turn 11. Kenan ended his day 54 points behind Lowes with only three rounds to go, but the next race is on home soil in Turkey, where he expects to challenge hard for the race win.
After coming from a bad start to take a podium finish Kevin Coghlan (Kawasaki DMC-Lorenzini) gave himself and his team a first podium in their current form. The Scot has come close to a top three finish before but this time it was his turn to make the leap upwards. He pushed hard when it counted to hold off the attentions of Lorenzo Zanetti on the final lap.
Riccardo Russo (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki) was sixth today while David Salom (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) improved from 11th on the grid to 9th despite making an incorrect rear tyre choice. Florian Marino (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) scored a top ten, right behind Salom, while Luca Scassa (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) found set-up issues holding back his pace and he finished 13th, scoring points.
The next round is at Istanbul Park in Turkey, on September 15th.
Kenan Sofuoglu: “I was pushing too much. Sam was really fast in race pace and I tried to stay with him. I found out that I did not set up the bike really perfectly. I think and in some places I was losing time, but Sam was really fast anyway. His pace was better than what I expected but I just did not give up. I knew I could finish second easily but I preferred to try to win the race and I knew I could crash so I chose to try to win the race. I knew it would be difficult. There is now a home race for me in Turkey and I will try to win the race again.”
Fabien Foret: “I tried to stay with the two boys at the front but I had my moment also where I was close to crashing, two laps before Kenan did and at the same corner. For me that was it. The pace was quite high so I could not catch up so I just concentrated on riding too the finish. I did not think today I could not do any better than I have done.”
Kevin Coghlan: “I had a bit of a bad start but then I managed to work my way through and in the last couple of laps I had enough pace to get past Russo and Zanetti. We have had some pace all year and some crashes mixed in with good results but the team have been supporting me and pushing me on. I hope we can get a podium or two more before the end of the year.”
— Pirelli Report
The new 17-inch Pirelli Diablo Superbike rear tyre in SC0 compound, which saw its debut at Monza, is unquestionably the first choice of Superbike riders should occur asphalt temperatures occur sufficiently low to allow the tyre to work correctly. At the Nürburgring, we have had further confirmation of that when in Race 1, with an air temperature of 14 degrees and of 21 for the asphalt, all the riders opted for the soft solution not only finishing the race without any problem of wear but also researching the performance and running strong until the end, allowing improvements of around one second per lap on race time in comparison to the past years.
In Superbike Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) in Race 1 is got the highest step of the podium, behind him the two riders of BMW Motorrad GoldBet Superbike team, Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies, respectively second and third at the finish line. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), who was leading the championship before this round, is forced to settle for fourth place.
In Race 2, the BMW British rider takes its revenge on his compatriot from Kawasaki, in fact Chaz Davies obtains the first placement in front of Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) and his team-mate Marco Melandri.
With four rounds to go before the end of the Championship Tom Sykes returns to the top of the overall standings with 287 points bypassing the Frenchman on the Aprilia, Sylvain Guintoli (286), by one point. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) follows the leader with a gap of 30 points and Irishman Eugene Laverty closes the quartet of eligible candidates for the title with 247 points. Despite the excellent performance demonstrated today a recovery of Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) seems more difficult, he currently holds the fifth position with a gap of 66 points from the championship leader.
In Supersport the British Yakhnich Motorsport team rider, Sam Lowes, makes his Yamaha YZF R6 – shod with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC1 – run fastest, taking out a strong mortgage on the world title as he now boasts an advantage of 54 points on Kenan Sofuoglu (MAHI Racing Team India) when there are only 3 races to go and a maximum of 75 points available. The Turkish rider took comfort winning his third Pirelli Best Lap Award.
The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders: When temperatures permit, and this was the case of the Nürburgring today, the Diablo Superbike standard SC0 (R1261) tyre remains the preferred solution by all the riders for the rear and the fact that on this occasion it has been chosen by all the riders lined up on the grid was a further confirmation of how this tyre can fit very well on the motorcycles from different teams meeting the needs and the different riding styles of Superbike riders. The SC0 standard is the softest solution of the range which debuted at Monza with the reinforced central area has been used at Donington, Portimão, Imola and now here with success. This slick solution has a soft compound, ideal for tackling smooth asphalt and high temperatures but can be used, as has already happened, even when track temperatures do not exceed 20 degrees. It offers, in fact, maximum tread contact on smooth asphalt and maximum traction development at high temperatures as well as higher resistance to thermal performance decay. At the front the new development SC1 (S283) has found a good appreciation. It has been designed to ensure greater robustness and has been chosen by 12 of the 20 riders at the start, while almost all the other riders opted for the standard SC1 (R426).
In Supersport teams and riders preferences for the rear went to the new development SC1 (R1591) which debuted at Silverstone and offers greater resistance to cold tearing but equal grip of the standard SC1, for the front instead the majority of the riders opted for the standard SC1 (P1177).
Pirelli Best Lap Award: The Pirelli Best Lap Awards, the prize that is assigned to the riders with the fast laps in the Superbike and Supersport races, were presented by Sales & Marketing Director DACH Michael Müller, by Trade Marketing and Events Manager Germany Tina Hetzel and by Racing Manager Germany Bjoern Lohmann in the Paddock Show during the press conference that follows the podium at the end of Superbike race 1 and race 2 and the Supersport race.
The Superbike and Supersport rider who has earned the most “Pirelli Best Lap Award” titles at the end of the season will be elected “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” and awarded during the end of year ceremony. At the moment Tom Sykes leads the Superbike standings with 8 awards. In Supersport Sam Lowes is the leader with 4 best lap awards.
These are the riders who won the Pirelli Best Lap Awards in the tenth round of the season:
WSB Race 1 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’54.594 (8th lap)
WSB Race 2 – Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK), 1’54.703 (9th lap)
WSS – Kenan Sofuoglu (MAHI Racing Team India), 1’58.072 (8th lap)
Comment from Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto Racing Director: “The weekend started with the nice wet superpole achieved yesterday by Ayrton Badovini, his first career pole in the Superbike class and the second for the Ducati Panigale after the one obtained by Checa at Phillip Island. All in all signals of encouragement for the manufacturer from Borgo Panigale, that this year is facing a difficult time. Too bad that in the race Ayrton was not able to fight for the podium but anyway congratulations for the excellent result of Saturday. Today we have witnessed two great races, now it seems clear that Tom Sykes is the favourite for the title this year but surely Marco Melandri, Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli will give him a hard time till the end of the Championship so it’s better not to take anything for granted. Speaking of tyres, for the rear once again the standard SC0 was the solution of the weekend being adopted by the unanimity of the riders lined up on the grid in both Superbike races. For us these are important points of feedback, the soft solution continues to be very flexible and able to get on track with temperatures that are not particularly high, here at the Nürburgring for example the track temperature never exceeded 22 degrees. This means that we have made significant progresses, with a SC0 working very well with temperatures not particularly high and a SC1 that is able to cover almost the whole range of use of SC2. As far as last year would have been unthinkable to run with the SC0 with a 20 degrees asphalt temperature, now we can easily say that with only two solutions, the SC0 and SC1, next season we will be able to basically compete on all circuits while the hardest solution, the SC2, will remain available for the minor championships because of the excellent performance/durability ratio they can guarantee. I conclude by making a wish for a speedy recovery to the unfortunate Jonathan Rea and Leon Camier, we hope to see them soon back on track ”
The 2013 Pirelli statistics for Nürburgring round:
• Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 4462
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 6 rear
• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (dry, intermediate and wet): 4 front and 4 rear
Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 33 front and 34 rear
• Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 23 front and 22 rear
• Temperature in Race 1: air 14° C, asphalt 21° C
• Temperature in Race 2: air 20° C, asphalt 31° C
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Superbike tyres: 279.8 km/h, in Race 1 by Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) at 15th lap.
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tyres in Supersport: 257.1 km/h, Kev Coghlan (Kawasaki DMC-Lorenzini Team), 1st lap.