Gordon Ritchie | September 28, 2019
2019 French World Superbike Results—Race Two
Rea overcame Michael van der Mark to claim a fifth WorldSBK title.
In a dramatic turn of events, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) secured his historic fifth World Championship title by winning the second full-distance race in France, after his only potential title threat Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed out. Bautista could not avoid hitting the rear of double race winner Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) and his machine on the exit of a slow corner.
Rea still had work to do, but after dicing with second-placed Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and the shadowing third-placed rider Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Rea took the title in style with his 12th win of the season.
Off the podium, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fourth, one place up on local hero Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).
Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha) won a close fight with Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) for sixth, as Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) and Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) completed the top ten.
In the championship, Rea ended up this weekend with an unassailable 129 point led over Bautista, and with two full rounds to go in Argentina and Qatar.
2019 French World Superbike Results—Race Two
2019 French World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Race
Mahias gave the French fans something to cheer about with a home win.
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) won a thrilling last-lap battle with Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing Yamaha) to take his first Kawasaki race win, and in front of his home crowd.
Another Kawasaki rider, Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) took the final podium place in a frantic and shortened 12-lap contest.
The start of the WorldSSP race had hardly got underway before a red flag was thrown, after a lurid crash between three riders, Bau, Calero, and Fuglio, all of whom went to the hospital for further checks.
The restart, over 12 laps, got underway again in warm sunshine, with Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) leading off. Poleman Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) and his team-mate Ayrton Badovini were also in the mix.
A high highside crash from long-time championship leader Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) seemed to gift race leader Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) the championship lead but the Italian rider fell himself. He restarted, set about trying to gain some points back, only to fall again in the fast first right-hander.
After the exit of the two main championship contenders, Cluzel led the race, until he was swamped by both Vinales and Mahias, with Badovini also dining in to take third.
An eight rider leading fight was in evidence on lap nine of the rescheduled 12 lap race, with Smith and Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Racing Yamaha) slowly dropping back to leave a top six.
Mahias and Vinales broke away, followed by the other four, and their last lap fight was a classic. Vinales looked to have won with a late pass into the final chicane entry, only for Mahias to come across the take the victory.
Behind the top three Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was fourth, Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) fifth, and one-time favorite Cluzel sixth.
Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) placed seventh, Gradinger eighth, pole man Smith ninth and Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) rounded out the top ten.
In the championship points, Krummenacher has 193, Caricasulo 183, Cluzel 155 and Mahias 123. Two rounds to go.
2019 French World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Race
2019 French World Superbike Results—Race One
History made as Toprak Razgatlioglu becomes the first-ever Turkish rider to win in World Superbike.
After a wet Superpole Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) took his first-ever WorldSBK race win in dramatic fashion after starting from 16th place on the starting grid.
With little track time to find a perfect race set-up after Friday and Saturday wet sessions, the fortunes of the top riders waxed and waned as the laps counted down.
After some incredibly tough passes and frequent overtakes in the early laps, Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) took the lead for most of the race but suffered heartbreak when he fell with a few laps to go, under trail braking into Turn 15.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) then looked the most likely race winner but Razgatlioglu passed him on the final lap, into the slow hairpin, and then took an eventual advantage of 0.240 seconds over the finish line.
Rea scored second, and in a final niggly battle between old team-mates Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) took the podium advantage over Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) for third place.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fifth, struggling at times but still moving up from 14th on the grid to the top five.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was sixth, the returning Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) a fine seventh, Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha) eighth, Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) ninth and Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha) tenth.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) were non-finishers after separate falls. Davies tried to pass Razgatlioglu inside and the two clashed entering Turn 15, with Davies falling and being unable to restart. Haslam crashed nearer the end as he got too much air time in the final chicane rumple strips.
2019 French World Superbike Results—Race One
2019 French World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Qualifying
Kyle Smith charged through for his first WorldSSP pole.
WorldSSP rider Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) secured his first-ever pole position after a dramatic session, in which he topped the timesheets, then fell before getting going again to improve his best lap time still further.
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) posted a late home-town second place, splitting Smith from his team-mate Ayrton Badovini (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) who was third fastest in the wet and tricky conditions.
He too fell but remained in third place after a push from fourth place rider Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha).
Championship big hitters Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) were fifth and sixth today.
Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) placed seventh and Cluzel’s team-mate Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) eighth.
Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing Yamaha) and top CBR rider Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) rounded out the top ten in damp conditions.
2019 French World Superbike Results—WorldSSP Qualifying
2019 French World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Qualifying
Rea just topped Superpole, ahead of van der Mark.
Unexpected rains at the wrong time of day saw Superpole run in fully wet conditions, which proved to be no problem for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team). His 1’53.955 took the top spot by just 0.014 seconds, from Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team).
Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) was third quickest and joined the top two on the grid for the first race of the weekend.
Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was pushed from fourth place by Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team Ducati). A late charge by Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) saw him up to sixth, completing row two.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) placed seventh, with Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) eighth – and the surprise of Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) ninth.
Returning rider Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) was the final rider inside the top ten. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was 11th and his official Ducati teammate Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was 14th.
The delayed start to Superpole did not alter the schedule for the first WorldSBK race of the weekend, which will get underway at 2pm today.
2019 French World Superbike Results—WorldSBK Qualifying
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