Gordon Ritchie | April 15, 2018
2018 Aragon WorldSBK and WorldSSP Sunday Results—Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) won the second WorldSBK race at Motorland Aragon, with a last corner battle only averted after potential winner Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) ran off track pushing Davies’ lead, shortly after another potential victor Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had dropped from a fraction of a second behind to over three seconds back, after losing his back brake and easing up.
2018 Aragon WorldSBK and WorldSSP Sunday Results
Davies’ win closed him up in the championship to just 12 points to leader Rea.
Davies, Rea, and Melandri had fought it out hard and long in race two but only after leading rider Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati) had crashed out on lap eight, entering the fast last curve on the brakes.
With five to go Davies made his move on Rea, was rebuffed, but his aggression to repass almost instantly saw him back in front.
Rea and Davies had started race two on the third row after being podium men on Saturday.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) got the better of Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) as they finished fourth and fifth, over ten seconds down.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) had a disastrous second race, running in the midfield and finally recovering to finish sixth, but 13.7 seconds from the winner.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba Racing IT Ducati Junior Team) almost lost a fine seventh by celebrating too early over the line, with Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) only just eighth.
Ninth went to privateer rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and tenth to Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)
In the championship itself, Rea has 114, Davies 102, Melandri 96 and Fores 76 points.
2018 Aragon WorldSBK and WorldSSP Sunday Results
WorldSSP: Cortese Wins His First
It had been five years since Sandro Cortese won a race and his Aragon triumph now puts him firmly in title contention.
German star Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing Yamaha) took his first ever WorldSSP race win after a multi-rider fight was wrapped up by his unbeatable pace on the final three laps, and he won by a margin of 1.426 seconds. It was the third straight 2018 victory for Yamaha, but with three different riders. It was also the third all-Yamaha podium.
“I am just so happy and I am enjoying the moment,” Cortese said. “Also, yesterday winning Superpole was great. I felt from the first free practice onwards that we had good speed. I know the track and I thought I could fight for victory. Once you start the race the plan you made the night before is gone, so and I tried to stay out of any fights between Caricasulo and Cluzel and it worked. I just enjoyed it and was relaxed and happy all weekend.”
Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) was fast and determined but not in possession of enough pure pace in the final laps to compete against Cortese. He did hold off the consistent challenge of Jules Cluzel (NRT Yamaha). Third place was Cluzel’s first podium finish of 2018.
With four laps to go Caricasulo passed Cortese into turn two and tried to make a break, but Cortese decided to shed himself of the distraction and eased out a lead with three laps to go. This was only his third race in WorldSSP.
Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) was fourth, on his own, but 5.533 seconds down on a win.
A potential podium for Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) ended at the halfway point as the bike gave out and he was forced to stop.
In fifth place, Kyle Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini Honda) held off fellow Briton Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing Triumph), as they both passed long time fifth place rider Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing).
Niki Tuuli (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) was eighth, with Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing Kawasaki) the top privateer Kawasaki runner in ninth. Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Against Cancer Kawasaki) was the tenth rider home, and the first part-time ESS rider as well. Lachlan Epis finished 24th on his GoEleven Kawasaki.
In the championship fight, Mahias leads with 58 points, Cortese is second on 54, Aragon faller and re-starter Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) is third with 50 and Caricasulo 49, is in fourth place.
