Gordon Ritchie | April 7, 2019
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Race Two
It all looks too easy for Bautista and Ducati right now.
The game-changing combination that is Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and his all-new Ducati Panigale V4R scored another dead-center bullseye to make it nine wins from nine starts in the WorldSBK Championship this year.
He ran away from pole position again and even though his only championship rival so far, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), started from second place in this race, Bautista was gone after a lap and simply uncatchable – barring disasters – from the second lap on. The margin of victory was an artificial 6.867 seconds.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Rea, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) ran in close proximity almost throughout.
Rea was second after a late push from fourth, Davies eventually third and Haslam a final fourth, all three British riders huddled close together across the line.
Lowes dropped back to finish fifth, almost four seconds down from the podium fight.
Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) took sixth place, just ahead of three fighting riders, led home by the privateer bike of Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki). Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) placed eighth and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team Ducati) ninth. The top ten was rounded out by Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha).
In the points, Bautista is 39 ahead of Rea, a perfect 186 to a near perfect 147. Lowes is third, with 100 points.
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Race Two
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Race
Krummenacher (21) timed his run to perfection to steal the Aragon won from De Rosa (3).
First time pole man Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing Yamaha) and now seasoned WorldSSP veteran Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) did much of the heavy lifting out front in the 16-lap WorldSSP race at Motorland, but it was to be new clear championship leader Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) who would take the win.
Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) clawed his way to the top four with five laps left and led them onto the final lap and onto the back straight. He would finish second by just 0.094 seconds from ‘Krummi’ with Caricasulo third. Gradinger was fourth, but just 0.732 seconds from the winner.
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) was not able to get to and compete with the top podium men today, finishing a lonely fifth and dropping 14 points behind Krummenacher as a result.
Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) came through to finish sixth, heading up an eventual three-rider fight with the two official Kawasaki riders, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who finished seventh and eighth respectively.
Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was on a mission in his first race back in the WorldSSP paddock, ahead of the official bikes for a while but finally ninth at the flag.
Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays Honda) completed the top ten WorldSSP riders in Spain.
In the championship, Krummenacher leads with 70 points, from Cluzel on 56 and Caricasulo on 48.
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Race
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Superpole Race
Bautista (19) stormed clear in the Superpole race to make it eight wins in a row in his debut WorldSBK season.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) once again showed a pace that none of his rivals could reach, even with cold track temperatures underneath his V4R’s tires, as he claimed yet another front-running win in the ten-lap sprint race at Motorland.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) was again second but had a very hard time from the eventual third-placed rider, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team).
Ducati, Kawasaki, Yamaha – the race winner may almost be a foregone conclusion in each race but the competition behind Bautista is strong.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) could not double up on his Saturday podium finish but was right with the Rea/Lowes fight.
A three-rider group, comprising Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) finished in that order, with Sykes fifth for the second time in two days.
In a lone eighth place Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) impressed at his home race, with Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) completing the top ten behind him.
A clash between Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team Ducati) saw them both fall at turn one on lap one, with only VDM getting going again to finish last, and score a single championship point. Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) did not start as he broke his wrist in a crash on Saturday.
The final WorldSBK Aragon race will take place at 14.00 local time, over 18-laps.
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Superpole Race
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Race One
Another race, another steamroll from Alvaro Bautista, this time at home in Spain.
With a Superpole qualifying ‘win’ and an 18-lap race win to follow, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was feasting early in front of his adoring fans, on the first day that delivered points at the superb 5.077km long circuit in the hills of Aragon.
Carlos Checa, the 2011 Spanish WorldSBK Champion, gave his heir apparent his Superpole trophy before Bautista took advantage of his starting position to finish over 15 seconds ahead, demonstrating again what is becoming a regular winning habit in WorldSBK.
The race right out front was a new kind of boring, but the race for podiums was like a saloon fight in full evening dress.
Factory riders elbowed and threw shapes at each other all race long, with even 2018’s dominant rider Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) unable to set his own unmatched pace as the laps counted down.
He had to put in a special last lap to make sure that a resurgent Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) would be third and Rea second – for the seventh time in succession in 2019.
Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) had a fourth-place finish – at least – nailed on until he fell in the middle the final chicane when he ran wide and lost grip as he tried to recover. He got going again for 15th and last place.
The combative Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was another podium possible until he dropped back with a handful of laps to go, while a strong starting and strong finishing Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) saw himself into a final fifth place despite being passed by almost all his rivals down the straight at some stage or other.
Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was just ahead of front row man Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha), taking sixth place.
Eighth went to Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), with Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) having a tough race and finishing ninth, from a 12th place grid start. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) completed the top ten, with Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) 11th and Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha) 12th.
Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) did not score after a startline clash with Jonathan Rea, which led to a fall for the German rider.
Bautista is now 31 points ahead of Rea, with two more races to go in Spain on Sunday.
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Race One
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Superpole
Bautista set a new lap record on his way to another Superpole session win.
The conventional Tissot Superpole contest, featuring all the riders on track to get their grid slots for race one and the Superpole race on Sunday morning, saw Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) record his second career Superpole win, with a new track record time of 1:40.049 on his works V4R.
A surprise second place went to Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha) in a shaken-up session in terms of the expected leading order.
Despite giving up some top speed to his main rivals, Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rode to third overall. He was on course for pole until he ran wide and lost a lot of time right at the end of the session.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was fourth, and even though he crashed on his final attempt at a faster lap, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team Ducati) was fifth on his V4R Panigale.
As the privateer Ducati riders started to find their real feet at Motorland Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) was sixth, 0.673 seconds from the new track best.
Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) continued his own assured progress on the BMW, in seventh place from 18 riders.
The real shocks were coming up behind, with Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) last of the V4R guys in eighth – but nobody saw Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) finishing ahead of tenth-placed Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), or Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) going 12th after a dramatic two laps on a qualifying rear tire. Rea and Haslam both lost good chances to improve after running wide and losing their potential best lap times.
Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha) was in worse states, crashed without injury at turn two near the end of the session, finishing up only 13th for that reason.
Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was 11th, Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) 14th and top Honda.
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Superpole
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Superpole
Aragon provided a maiden Superpole win for Gradinger.
Austrian Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing Yamaha) piled into WorldSSP Superpole so hard he won it, setting a lap of 1:53.972 to hold off some more experienced and starred 600cc riding talents. It was his first pole win in this category, improving on his third fastest position on Friday.
Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) was second quickest, and Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) third fastest.
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) was looking good for pole but missed out near the end of his lap. He will now start Saturday’s race from the second row, in fourth place on the grid. Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing Yamaha) was fifth fastest at Motorland today.
Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was sixth, and top MV rider. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) seventh and top Kawasaki runner.
Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) was eighth and recent strong qualifier and competitor, Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) ninth. Hannes Soomer (MPM WILSport Racedays Honda) squeezed a CBR Honda into the top ten.
WorldSSP rider Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was 13th on his return to WorldSSP after an enforced recent hiatus from track action.
2019 Spanish World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Superpole
For all the latest WorldSBK news and results, click here
For all the latest Road Racing news and results, click here
