Gordon Ritchie | September 22, 2024
Sunday WorldSBK Race Two
After his Saturday heroics and then the Sprint race win on Sunday morning, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) pulled off another famous victory in front of his adoring home fans to take away a triple crown of full points scores and jump up to fifth place in the overall championship rankings.
With World Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) missing through injury this was the ideal Italian round for Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) to pass his Turkish rival’s current points total.
Clearly no manufacturer, or team, orders were in play at Cremona, as not only did Petrucci beat Bulega yet again, but the other official Ducati rider, Alvaro Bautista, took a sure second spot away from Bulega in Race Two. Bautista made over 40 passes at this event in general, at a circuit it is supposedly difficult to pass at.
Danilo Petrucci made it three starts, three wins for his finest ever WorldSBK weekend.
Off podium, Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) displayed great late pace to overhaul Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racings Team) with two laps to go and score fourth place.
Sixth for Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) was part of an overall team score that was the best of 2024 so far.
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was seventh, Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda) eighth and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) ninth. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) completed the top ten.
In the championship points Razgatlioglu still leads with an unchanged 365, and Bulega leaves Cremona 13 points behind, with 352. Bautista is on 283 and Lowes has 255. Significantly, Petrucci is breathing down his neck with 252, in fifth place. Next round Motorland Aragon, next week – with or without Razgatlioglu.
2024 Cremona WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Race Two
| 1 |
Danilo Petrucci |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
|
| 2 |
Álvaro Bautista |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+1.023s |
| 3 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+2.910s |
| 4 |
Garrett Gerloff |
(Bonovo Action BMW) |
+8.452s |
| 5 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) |
+8.761s |
Sunday WorldSSP Race Two
Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) won his home race on Sunday to rapturous acclaim, giving him his first WorldSSP race win since Barcelona in March.
Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) was second, by over 2.5 seconds.
A superb third place for the ever-improving Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) was in some ways a result of another rider’s misfortune, but finishing on the podium was more than a boost for rider and team.
Stefano Manzi made it a home in race two.
The unfortunate rider was Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) who seemed hell-bent on taking a race win after his Race One third place.
He crashed at T7, a good spot for that kind of thing at Cremona, it seems, and was unable to finish the race.
Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was fourth and Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) fifth.
Sixth place went to the Italian triple of Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta), seventh to Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Ducati) and eighth to the first Kawasaki of Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). He had been as high up as fourth until his pace dropped.
The top ten was completed by the second PRT Triumph of Ondrej Vostatek and the EAB Racing Ducati of Niki Tuuli.
Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing Ducati) was 14th and his team-mate Tom Edwards 16th – the latter just out of the points. Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) placed 23rd.
In the championship fight, with three rounds and six races to go, the advantage has swung very much in Huertas’ favour after Montella’s Race Two no-score.
Huertas has 334 points, Montella 291 and Manzi is a very close threat to the second Ducati rider with 284 points – just seven away.
2024 Cremona WorldSSP Results—Race Two
| 1 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
|
| 2 |
Adrián Huertas |
(Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) |
+2.697s |
| 3 |
Tom Booth-Amos |
(PTR Triumph) |
+7.561s |
| 4 |
Marcel Schroetter |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+9.412s |
| 5 |
Valentin Debise |
(Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) |
+10.243s |
Sunday WorldWCR Race Two
Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) scored the Race Two win, holding off the local challenge of Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team).
Aussie rider Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) was a surprise third, having been leading the following group behind the four lead riders in strong form.
Ana Carrasco got some3 sweet revenge in race two.
On the final lap, entering T11, Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) fell and her crashing bike hit Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team), taking both riders out.
With Relph third, Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) finished hot on her heels in fourth place, with wildcard rider Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motor Sports) fifth.
There was another big gap to the rider in sixth, Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) and almost three seconds behind her, Astrid Madrigal (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA).
Emily Bondi (YART Zelos Black Knights Team), Ornella Ongaro (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) completed the race top ten.
In the championship Carrera is now in the lead by nine points over Herrera, 163 to 154. Sanchez is third with 128 and Neila fourth with 107.
2024 Cremona WorldSBK Results: WorldWCR Race Two
| 1 |
Ana Carrasco |
(Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) |
|
| 2 |
Roberta Ponziani |
(Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) |
+0.195s |
| 3 |
Tayla Relph |
(TAYCO Motorsport) |
+13.676s |
| 4 |
Beatriz Neila |
(Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+13.858s |
| 5 |
Avalon Lewis |
(Carl Cox Motor Sports) |
+14.358s |
Sunday WorldSBK Superpole Race
A quick start from third place, after a sixth place start in Race One due to a penalty, saw Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) sweep away any potential opponents and ease out to a 1.2 second advantage before the halfway point. He would go on to win by 1.797 seconds.
Danilo Petrucci made it two from two so far at Cremona in the Superpole race.
Andrea Iannone (Team Go Eleven Ducati) was second in the beginning, while Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) passed Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) early on. It looked like that would be the podium order but as the laps ran down Lowes was the man on the move, partly thanks to his SCX-A development tyre choice. He passed first Bulega and then Iannone to take a second place that went some way to making up for this first race fall from a podium position. Iannone was third and Bulega fourth. This was Iannone’s fourth podium of his ‘rookie’ WorldSBK season.
Bulega had a technical issue that saw him stop out on track on his slow down lap, and get a lift back to pitlane from Iannone.
Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) had another good ride to fifth, ahead of the rapidly advancing Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team), Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda), Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) and Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) completed the top ten, as part of a loose eight rider group.
Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha) retired on lap eight.
2024 Cremona WorldSBK Results: Sunday WorldSBK Superpole Race
| 1 |
Danilo Petrucci |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
|
| 2 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) |
+1.797s |
| 3 |
Andrea Iannone |
(Team GoEleven) |
+2.572s |
| 4 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+3.431s |
| 5 |
Iker Lecuona |
(Team HRC) |
+4.729s |
Saturday WorldSSP Race One
Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) gave his Italian manufacturer a happy first memory of the all-new Cremona Circuit by taking an unchallenged victory in race One. He led for all 20-laps, easing out to finish over 4.5 seconds up on second placed Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) was third, and over 7.5 seconds back on his big rival for the championship, Huertas.
Huertas made it look easy with the race one win in WorldSSP.
In a dry race with air temperatures of 25°C Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) placed fourth, with Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) fifth. His ride made it four different manufacturers inside the top five places on a generally tight and twisty circuit layout, with one very long back straight.
Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) was sixth. Recent machine upgrades allowed John McPhee (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) to take seventh place, ahead of Ondrej Vostatek (PTR Triumph).
Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Ducati) and the returning Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) rounded out the top ten.
Tom Edwards (D34G Racing Ducati) was the top WorldSSP Challenge rider, for those who only compete in the European rounds.
2024 Cremona WorldSBK Results: Saturday WorldSSP Race One
| 1 |
Adrian Huertas |
(Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) |
|
| 2 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) |
+4.665s |
| 3 |
Yari Montella |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
+7.597s |
| 4 |
Marcel Schroetter |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+13.000s |
| 5 |
Tom Booth-Amos |
(PTR Triumph) |
+13.682s |
Saturday WorldSBK Race One
Despite being penalized to drop three starting positions on the grid, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) worked his way forward in a scheduled 23-lap Race One to win a red flagged contest by 2.590 seconds from Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and by over six seconds from the rapidly advancing Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
A technical failure, said to be with the transmission of video images and thus the ability to conduct the racing safely, saw the race red-flagged and classified as a finished shortly after 16 complete laps, witht the results decided on where the riders were around all the sectors of the track when the flag was shown.
Petrucci made a little slice of history with his first win in WorldSBK.
Petrucci’s first race win gives him at least one race or stage victory in MotoGP, WorldSBK, MotoAmerica and the Dakar Rally – a unique achievement.
Bulega had struggled against a lack of front grip to finish second.
Bautista’s third place came at the expense of strong fourth place finisher Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda), who continued the slight ride in Honda’s fortunes of late.
A season best and Kawasaki personal best for Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team) saw him fifth, and the only Kawasaki rider after his team-mate Alex Lowes fell from a seemingly sure podium position, at T7 – just like Iannone had.
Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda) was a top six finisher, just behind Bassani.
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had some tough fights with Bautista as the Ducati rider finally came past him, but VDM scored good points in seventh place.
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was eighth, local man Michael Ruben Rinaldi (MotoCorsa Racing Ducati) ninth and – astonishingly – the top Yamaha rider was Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha) but in tenth place.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) slipped way back from third to finish 12th and Tommy Bridewell’s first Honda UK ride in WorldSBK saw him finish 18th.
2024 Cremona WorldSBK Results: Saturday WorldSBK Race One
| 1 |
Danilo Petrucci |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
|
| 2 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+2.590s |
| 3 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+6.383s |
| 4 |
Iker Lecuona |
(Team HRC) |
+7.583s |
| 5 |
Axel Bassani |
(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) |
+10.125s |
Saturday WorldWCR Race One
Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) won a tasty but truncated final running of Race One at Cremona, just holding off Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) by 0.075 seconds after a last lap sort out between the top three. The final podium position was taken by Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team), who was a narrow 0.197 seconds down on the winning pace.
Ana Carrasco (22) and Maria Herrera (6) got at it in race one but Herrera would come out on top.
The five lap race was a restarted event, after the first attempted running was red flagged when Alyssia Whitmore (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) crashed and needed medical attention. She was diagnosed with a suspected concussion and a right thumb injury, and declared unfit.
Local rider Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) placed third, after running wide for a time. She won a final duel with sometime front-runner, Beatriz Neila (Ampito/Pata Prometeon Yamaha).
Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1), Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) and wildcard rider from New Zealand, Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motor Sports), finished in a close group from sixth to eighth.
Astrid Madrigal (ITALIKA Racing FIMLA) and American rider Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) completed the top ten.
2024 Cremona WorldSBK Results: Saturday WorldWCR Race One
| 1 |
Maria Herrera |
(Klint Forward Factory Team) |
|
| 2 |
Sara Sanchez |
(511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) |
+0.075s |
| 3 |
Ana Carrasco |
(Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) |
+0.197s |
| 4 |
Roberta Ponziani |
(Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) |
+5.113s |
| 5 |
Beatriz Neila |
(Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+5.382s |
Saturday WorldSBK Superpole
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) began his second home weekend of the year with a pole position start for Race One and the Superpole Race, placing himself just 0.115 seconds ahead of the private Ducati of Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven Ducati) and 0.332 seconds ahead of another Independent Rider, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati). Petrucci will be penalised by starting Race One from sixth place, not third, after day one’s incident with Remy Gardner.
Pole time for Bulega in WorldSBK.
Fourth place on the Superpole timesheets went to the first non-Italian and non-Ducati rider on the grid, Alex Lowes (kawasaki Racing Team). Like Bulega, he was ot fall at T2 after setting his personal fastest lap.
Fifth – and yet another Italian – was Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team), with a resurgent Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Ducati) sixth. Both HRC Honda riders, Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona, slotted in behind Lowes.
Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing. WorldSBK Team) was ninth and Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) tenth. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was 13th, one place ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu stand-in, Markus Reiterberger (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
2024 Cremona WorldSBK Results: Saturday WorldSBK Superpole
| 1 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
1:27.953s |
| 2 |
Andrea Iannone |
(Team GoEleven) |
+0.115s |
| 3 |
Danilo Petrucci |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
+0.332s |
| 4 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) |
+0.357s |
| 5 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+0.649s |
Friday WorldSBK
The all-new WorldSBK Cremona Circuit started out damp but finally dried up enough for Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) to set the new track best in FP2 on Friday with a 1’29.685 lap time.
Lowes reasserted an early FP2 advantage at the end of the second practice session, holding off the change of local rider Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) and third best qualifier so far, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
Lowes was fastest on Friday.
On a KRT-supplied bike Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was a remarkable fourth fastest, ahead of Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven Ducati) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Bautista broke a rib in Magny-Cours but was declared fit to ride after participation in the FP1 session.
Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) was a spirited seventh on the opening day, with faller Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) eight. The top ten in day one was completed by Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) and local rider, Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team).
Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha) was 16th fastest, but just less than a second from the fastest lap time set by Alex Lowes.
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) was 23rd from 25 riders on Friday, as the reigning BSB Champion joins the World Championship riders for the Cremona weekend.
2024 Cremona WorldSBK Results: Friday
| 1 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) |
1’29.685s |
| 2 |
Danilo Petrucci |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
+0.081s |
| 3 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+0.151s |
| 4 |
Tito Rabat |
(Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) |
+0.291s |
| 5 |
Andrea Iannone |
(Team GoEleven) |
+0.331s |
Friday WorldSSP
Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) took his sixth pole position of the season with a lap time of 1’31.478 at Cremona, putting himself almost 0.3 seconds ahead of his closest rival, Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).
Championship challenger Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) was third, filling the Race One front row with the three most potent riders of the year to date.
Huertas topped WorldSSP on Friday.
Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) placed fourth on his three cylinder machine, with John McPhee (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) having a confidence-building fifth place Superpole performance.
Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) put himself into the top six. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) led an incredibly close group fighting for the top ten places, taking seventh place in the end.
Top Kawasaki rider Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was eighth, Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) ninth and Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Ducati) tenth.
Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing Ducati) was 13th in a field of 32 riders.
2024 Cremona WorldSSP Results: Friday
| 1 |
Adrián Huertas |
(Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) |
1:31.478s |
| 2 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
+0.298s |
| 3 |
Yari Montella |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
+0.330s |
| 4 |
Federico Caricasulo |
(Motozoo ME AIR Racing) |
+0.393s |
| 5 |
John McPhee |
(WRP by SKM – Triumph) |
+0.612s |
Friday WorldWCR
Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) posted the fastest time in Superpole qualifying at the all-new WorldSBK venue of Cremona, leading local rider Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) by 0.101 seconds on a damp but finally drying track surface.
Maria Herrera topped the WorldWCR field on Friday.
Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) placed third on the grid for Saturday’s Race One. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) was fourth, Beatriz Neila (Ampito/Pata Prometeon Yamaha) fifth and the second row of the grid was completed by yet another Spanish rider, Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1). She made it five Spanish riders insode the top six places.
Aussie rider Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) placed seventh, ahead of Kiwi rider Avalon Lewis.
Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) and Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) rounded out the top ten in Superpole.
2024 Cremona WorldWCR Results: Friday
| 1 |
María Herrera |
(Klint Forward Factory Team) |
1:41.152s |
| 2 |
Roberta Ponziani |
(Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) |
+0.101s |
| 3 |
Ana Carrasco |
(Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha Team) |
+0.237s |
| 4 |
Sara Sánchez |
(511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) |
+0.953s |
| 5 |
Beatriz Neila |
(Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+1.862s |
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