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WSBK-Final round Qatar

KUCIAR666

Registered User
The final SBK round gets underway at floodlit Qatar


The Althea BMW Racing Team, competing in the final round of the Superbike World Championship at the Losail international circuit in Qatar, have completed day one of practice under the floodlights. While Jordi Torres positions seventh on the timesheets, Raffaele De Rosa and Markus Reiterberger lie 15th and 17th respectively.

The first timed practice session took place in the early evening and in typically hot conditions (air temperature 30?C, track 33?C). The Althea BMW trio went straight to work in terms of adapting their BMW S 1000 RR bikes to the Qatari track. Jordi closed ninth, followed by Raffaele, riding the BMW Superbike for the second time this season, in tenth place. Markus, riding at Losail for the first time, finished in 18th position.

In the second timed practice, which took place at 9pm local time, all three Althea BMW men improving on their performance. Torres was able to lower his time by almost a second, to close seventh (1?58.303). The Spaniard will therefore take part in Superpole 2 tomorrow. De Rosa recorded a best time of 1?59.192, to finish 15th and Reiterberger positions 17th thanks to a time of 1?59.526, meaning both will compete in tomorrow?s Superpole 1.
Jordi Torres

?Session one didn?t go as expected because we had some problems, with a lot of movement at the rear of the bike. My technicians worked like champions to solve this issue before session two and we were able to do a lot better. We also made a long-run in order to understand which tyre to use in the race. We?ve seen that we have the pace today, now we have to see if conditions are the same tomorrow? We?re feeling quite confident though.?

Markus Reitenberger

?I?m enjoying the track, a new one for me. Unfortunately, I probably lost about 80% of session one due to some technical problems, so it was hard to learn the track as I only completed about eight laps. The second session started better but I had some more problems. So it was not an easy day and I?m down in seventeenth place, which isn?t good of course. I need more track time. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.?

Raffaele De Rosa

?For the first day here in Doha it?s not gone too badly, and I?m happier than I was after the first day at Laguna Seca. We are also a little closer in terms of lap times which is good. I know that we, both me and my BMW, can improve further, and the important thing is that I?m having fun riding the bike. We?ll see what tomorrow brings but I hope to be able to do well in both the Superpole and the race.?
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Mixed feelings for the Honda WorldSBK Team after day one in Qatar


The opening day of action at the final round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship drew to an end with Nicky Hayden eighth on the combined timesheets from the day?s two free practice sessions at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Hayden?s Honda WorldSBK teammate Michael van der Mark was twelfth after an early FP2 crash halted his progress, so tomorrow the young Dutchman will try to earn a spot in Superpole 2 during the first session, scheduled at 17:30 local time (GMT +3).

Nicky Hayden jumped back on his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP and quickly got back up to speed around the long and fast-flowing Losail track. The 35-year-old American rider was elevated to first place in the early part of Free Practice 2 but, as the session went on, he was unable to improve his pace enough to stay near the top. His eighth fastest lap-time, though, was only three and a half tenths off third place.

After getting off to a good start in the morning with third place in FP1, Michael van der Mark crashed unhurt at turn two in the early stages of the afternoon session. Due to the considerable damage suffered by his Fireblade machine in the process, the 24 year-old from Rotterdam in the Netherlands was unable to return to the track. As the chequered flag was deployed, he found himself in twelfth place ? although still within 0.150s of a top-10 finish.

Nicky Hayden 69-8th / 1'58.365

Things went pretty good in the first session: immediately, I was able to make some pretty decent lap-times. I surely expected the track to be more dirty that it was in the first session. I was also able to make quite a long run and keep a good pace and, even in the afternoon, things were going well. I thought everything was going pretty smooth but in the second half, everybody seemed to improve a lot more than I did, so we ended up in a position that surely doesn?t make us happy. We improved a tenth here and a tenth there, just not enough. We have a lot of data to work on, but to be honest I don?t have big problems with the bike and I don?t see anything that is really holding me back, so I think we all need to find a little bit extra and see how it goes tomorrow.

Michael van der Mark 60-12th / 1'58.673

The track conditions improved quite quickly this morning but at the beginning I wasn?t feeling good with the front of the bike. We made some changes during the session and I started to feel better and better; the final lap didn?t feel too fast to me but in the end it was a really good one. In the afternoon we made some more changes to the front and I was feeling OK on the bike. Then, unfortunately the crash happened and that was basically it. Shame, because we were building some momentum and I feel I could have done really well. Tomorrow won?t be easy because we will start from Superpole 1, but we will do our best.

Pieter Breddels -Technical Manager

In the morning session, both guys were really quick and we were happy with their positions at the end of FP1. With Nicky, we played a little bit with the setup and we were able to find a better front tyre for him. He is happy with the bike and comfortable with his race pace, but now we need to find some more speed on the single lap. Michael was really doing well in the early moments of free practice two: the crash was not a big one, but the bike was so damaged up to the point that the guys have to basically build a new one. Things like that can happen, though, but on the bright side he was quite happy with the set-up, so we won?t need many changes for tomorrow. Too bad for the time lost, but I?m confident he?ll make it to Superpole 2 and we will use the 15 extra minutes for some more track time.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
First Two Practice Sessions See Rea Second And Sykes Ninth

The final round of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship began with two free practice sessions under the floodlights of Losail in Qatar on Friday 28th October, with Jonathan Rea just 0.047 seconds from the fastest time and his team-mate Tom Sykes overcoming a technical problem with his rear brake to score the ninth fastest lap.


In a close combined free practice ranking, after two hours of dry track time, the top 12 riders were separated by less than a second at this long 5.380km circuit.

The fast and flowing track layout makes for generally high corner speeds and corner entries and each KRT rider was caught out at one stage of the second session, despite making good progress with their overall set-up at this unique venue.

Rea ran on at one corner under braking to make sure he did not risk a crash, while Sykes was forced off track to a halt when his rear brake locked and pushed him onto the gravel. Getting back to pitlane for repairs he completed his first day on a well-used front tyre, but still made it directly into Saturday?s Superpole 2 qualifying, along with Rea.

As the official Ninja ZX-10R riders approach the first race of the Losail weekend on Saturday both Rea and Sykes are the only two riders who can still win the championship, with Jonathan enjoying a 48 point lead over Tom but with 50 points available for any rider who wins both races.

Both KRT riders know the possible significance of the first race on Saturday, when Tom has to win and Jonathan score less than two points for Sykes to keep the championship fight going through to the final race of the year on Sunday.

Neither rider is taking anything for granted and both have already expressed a desire to race for wins at the end of a season in which Kawasaki has already won the Manufacturers? Championship.

Jonathan Rea, stated: ?I think we can make some improvements to be there with Chaz Davies tomorrow and I feel comfortable with the bike. We have been making some good changes in the bike set-up and we worked a lot with our Showa suspension set-up, so we will look to improve even further tomorrow. This is the first race in a long time that we have managed to do a long run on a Friday. We did 15 laps, which is almost race distance, so I am quite happy. This is probably the cleanest and most positive Friday we have had, even though I ran on at one corner. I just braked that little bit late and with the track being dirty I ran off line a little bit to try and make the corner. I decided to abort it and I did not realise the gravel was so close. We got going again right away and did another lap in the 1?58s to finish the run. Out and out laps times are very close but I think race pace is a different story.?

Tom Sykes, stated:
?On paper ninth looks a lot worse than it is, but for sure we lost a lot of time and almost had a crash on the entry of T2 when we had a brake issue. We were a bit lucky with that. We got the general set-up workload done, which was good, but we ended up not being able to use two fresh tyres to go for a fast lap. I put a big flat spot on the rear tyre when I ran onto the gravel and my best lap time was with an already used front. I was making the times with seven laps on the rear and 18 on the front, which is not bad. We have done a lot with the general feeling of the bike and components so I feel that now we have the chance to put everything together for Saturday.?

One-off Losail rider Leon Haslam (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was 11th fastest despite losing some time in the pits this morning. He was less than a second from the overnight pole time in his return to WorldSBK after a season in BSB. Local rider Saeed Al Sulaiti (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) took his Ninja ZX-10R to 19th place in the combined times. Roman Ramos (GoEleven Kawasaki) was one place behind, with Gianluca Vizziello 22nd and Dominic Schmitter 24th for the Grillini Racing Kawasaki team.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Flourishing Fourth for Guintoli in Final Friday at Qatar


The lights of the Losail International Circuit illuminated a strong performance from the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK riders as the closing weekend of the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship commenced on Friday evening. Sylvain Guintoli finished the two hours of free practice fourth fastest in the overall times, with teammate Alex Lowes narrowly behind in sixth.

The Qatari circuit has long been a favourite of the French rider and this evening proved no exception. Instantly getting down to business as the opening session began, Guintoli regained a smooth rhythm with the circuit on his YZF-R1 as he worked through tyre options and preparation for the weekend's two 17-lap races. Concluding the first hour on track in fifth position, and already inside the 1'59 mark, he continued his progression in the concluding 60-minutes to close the day just four-tenths from the provisional pole with a best lap of 1'58.167, and confident there is further potential on hand.

Lowes was equally optimistic with his Yamaha Superbike's capacity, having taken fourth in the first practice by recording a 1'58.889 on his final lap after a strong session of set-up work. Returning to the Losail track in the late-evening, Lowes launched into a race simulation, successfully completing the long-run with consistent and confident pace before switching to new tyres for the final flourish. The British rider's best effort of the night, a 1'58.241, sits him sixth in the combined times and joining his Pata Yamaha teammate in tomorrow's Superpole 2, on track at 17:55 local time, as the grid for Saturday's 20:00 race is decided.

Sylvain Guintoli
4th / 1'58.167 / 38 laps


"The YZF-R1 handles very well here so I'm feeling quite good after our first day. We've done some good laps on new tyres and hopefully we can keep a good rhythm over the race distance, have some fun and enjoy it as I really like this track! We've worked hard on all the tyre options today so we know the direction that works for us and hopefully we can have a fast race tomorrow. My fast lap was actually not that clean, I made two big mistakes so I know I have more but we've got to be competitive for the race so that has been our main target today."
Alex Lowes
6th / 1'58.241 / 41 laps


"It's really cool to ride at night under the lights, it's something a little different for us so it's always really nice, and the YZF-R1 is working well so today has been good. This afternoon I completed an almost full-race-distance simulation which I was quite happy with. With new tyres at the end I probably didn't go quite as fast as I had wanted but I'm trying to concentrate on improving my pace for the races, as I need two good results for the final weekend. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, I think we did a good job today with plenty of laps so hopefully the lads can use the data, fine tune the bike a little to improve my feeling on corner entry and see if we can make a step for race one."
Paul Denning – Team Principal
"A positive first night here in Qatar under the lights for both riders, it's the last race of the season but it's impressive to see that the focus from everyone involved is the same as the first race of the year. Sylvain came here knowing it was one of his favourite tracks and that he has the ability to win - having sealed the 2014 championship with a double victory - so it was no surprise to see him in a good rhythm and performing well from the start. He feels he could have been faster and also that there is some more performance to be found in the YZF-R1, so we'll keep the focus for tomorrow and continue the progression from the positive performance in Jerez.

"Alex also had a very solid day, even more so having completed a 15-lap long-run in FP2. These race simulations are always so useful in terms of technical information but also in the rider understanding more clearly where the bike can be improved to get the best result after the lights go out for real. Tomorrow is when it counts - both in qualifying and the first race - but based on today we go into Saturday evening with optimism."
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Torres and Althea BMW eighth in SBK Race 1 in Qatar



The final round of the Superbike World Championship is taking place at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar and the first SBK race of the weekend saw the Althea BMW Racing team cross the line in eighth place with Jordi Torres and twelfth position with wildcard Raffaele de Rosa. Markus Reiterberger was unfortunately forced to retire on lap eight.

Superpole 1: Reiterberger and De Rosa were on track for the first phase of the Superpole this evening. Both were able to improve on their performance throughout the brief session. Raffaele closed third, missing out on the chance to take part in SP2 by less than one tenth of a second, while Markus finished seventh. This means that the two Althea BMW men qualified respectively on the fifth and sixth row of the race grid.
Superpole 2: Torres proved to be at his ease on the Losail track during SP2, completed a best lap of 1?57.485 to earn tenth place on the race grid.

SBK - Race 1: eighth through the first corners, Torres got past Lowes early on to move into seventh. Lapping with very similar times to his fellow countryman For?s, immediately ahead of him, the Althea BMW man was unable to improve any further, crossing the line in final eighth place. Both De Rosa and Reiterberger made up a couple of positions off the line. Passing other riders through the subsequent laps, Raffaele was lying eleventh on lap five. Fighting first with Camier and then with Haslam, De Rosa crossed the line in twelfth position. Markus unfortunately retired on lap eight due to a technical problem.

Jordi Torres
?We started out well and I tried to be aggressive. I was lying seventh and chose to be a little cautious in order to save the tyre for the final phase of the race. Unfortunately, the drop in rear tyre performance came anyway and this prevented me from being fast through the turns. In the last laps I was losing a lot on both entry and exit, and this is also why I lost a position to Lowes in the final stretch. All in all, considering the practice sessions, the race wasn?t bad but I hope I can do more tomorrow.?

Markus Reiterberger

?Another day to forget unfortunately. In FP3 I was doing well and finished tenth, so I was feeling quite positive. But in SP1 we had a rear tyre issue which meant my grid position was nowhere near what we?d hoped. It wasn?t easy then in the race to start so far back but I thought I could achieve a top ten result. Unfortunately though, I had no feeling with the bike in the race, I don't know why, and I fell back to 18th. With a tyre problem and a very high engine temperature, I decided to return to the pits. It?s such a shame to finish like this, and I hope for a good final race tomorrow of course.?

Raffaele De Rosa

?The race didn?t go as I?d imagined. I didn?t make the fastest start so I found myself further back through the first turns. I made some passes though and caught Camier, with whom I then spent most of the race. I felt quite good on the bike and have to say that the engine impressed me. For tomorrow, we?ll make some changes, particularly to help me be a little faster out of the corners, and then I hope to make a good start and improve on today?s performance.?
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Hayden battles from front row to claim fifth place in race one at Losail

Nicky Hayden has finished the 17-lap, penultimate race of the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship in fifth place, after securing an excellent second spot on the grid in Superpole. Under the floodlights of Qatar?s Losail International Circuit, Hayden?s Honda WorldSBK team mate Michael van der Mark was ninth after starting from the third row and experiencing a difficult opening lap of the encounter.

Hayden got a great launch off the front row the grid and maintained his position entering turn one, before dropping down one place in the following change of direction. The experienced American rider held on to third place until the start of lap eight, when he was passed by Sylvain Guintoli at the end of the main straight. Hayden did all he could to stay with the Frenchman but as the laps went by, he gradually lost ground and found himself under pressure from Sykes. Hayden was unable to defend his position as he crossed the line fifth, only 0.160s away from his rival.

Van der Mark did not enjoy the best of starts from ninth place and dropped all the way down to 17th on the opening lap. The young Dutchman was able to make up some ground in the early part of the race and ? by lap 7 ? he was already back to ninth. Van der Mark kept a consistent rhythm throughout the remaining laps and kept his position at the flag.

The final encounter of the World Superbike season will get underway tomorrow at 21:00 local time (GMT +3).

Nicky Hayden 69 -5th

I made a very good lap in Superpole and I admit it was really happy with it. I made a good start and tried to stay with Davies and Rea in the beginning, but unfortunately I just didn?t have the pace. As the tyres went off, things got worse for me and unfortunately I finished fifth after doing a big part of the race on the podium. As you can imagine, I?m not too pumped with that but luckily I have a good team and we have some good data, so we will surely try to pull a few tweaks and see if we can do better tomorrow

Michael van der Mark 60-9th

Free Practice 3 didn?t really give us any really important information, because the sun was out and the temperatures were extremely different than at night time. Then in Superpole 1 after an early mistake I did what I thought was not a great lap, but in the end it turned to be a really competitive one and that meant I could move on to Superpole 2. Unfortunately, with the qualifying tyre I felt not as good as I would have liked and that translated into ninth place on the grid. I was happy with the pace on my race tyres but I had another problem at the start, which cost me so many places. It?s a shame, really, because we know that halfway through the race here it?s basically impossible to make up ground, so there was very little I could do.

Pieter Breddels -Technical Manager

Nicky had an incredible qualifying and his lap was 0.3secs faster than last year?s best lap. He started the race very well, but unfortunately he couldn?t hang on to third place and, in the end, he got beaten by only a tenth of a second for fourth place. He still has some little issues and that?s what we are going to work on ahead of tomorrow. If we can hang on to the podium in race two that would be a great end to the season. Michael did an excellent job in Superpole 1, but then in Superpole 2 he couldn?t do better than ninth after what was a very close qualifying session. Unfortunately for him, he had a problem at the start and although he was able to recover many places in the first half, he ended up doing the same lap times as the guys ahead. He made up some more ground in the end, but that wasn?t enough.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Double Champion Rea Makes Superbike History With Kawasaki

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) secured his second FIM Superbike World Championship in succession thanks to a second place finish in the opening race at Losail in Qatar. The last time this feat was achieved was 17 years ago. Tom Sykes (KRT) finished fourth in the race to remain second in the championship standings, with one race remaining tomorrow.

Rea, who had won his eighth career Superpole contest earlier in the day to start from the best grid spot, was intent on winning the 17-lap race to secure the title as he enjoyed a large points cushion of 48 over Sykes at the start of the day. Tom was the only rider who could possibly catch Jonathan on this final weekend of the 13 round season, but the title was decided one race before the end after Rea?s podium ride.

Rea is one of only four riders to have won WorldSBK titles from one year to the next, joining Carl Fogarty (twice), Doug Polen and Fred Merkel in that exclusive club.

In race one at the 5.380km Losail circuit Rea had chased eventual race winner Chaz Davies in the early laps and held station behind him for some time. Jonathan eventually eased off to earn more than enough points to make his second championship secure.

Sykes could not make his optimum pace in the early laps on fresh tyres but towards the end he made up ground and went from fifth to fourth by passing Nicky Hayden on the last lap and closing in on eventual final place podium man, Sylvain Guintoli.

With one race left to run there are still many possibilities for each KRT rider but Sykes will now concentrate his efforts defending his second place in the points ranking, as he is now seven points ahead of Davies.
Jonathan currently has 482 points and Sykes 427, ahead of the final race of the year.

Race two will take place at 21.00 on Sunday 30th October, local Qatar time.

Jonathan Rea, stated: ?It is incredible to have won back-to-back championships. It is very raw right now because I have not had time to take it in, but to have such a year like I had last year - and then this year with the new bike - I think we faced a lot more challenges this time. I am really happy and proud of our work because this bike was so new. To win in the first year of a new model is incredible and I want to thank Kawasaki for building such a good base bike. I expect to go from strength to strength. It felt like we really had to win the championship this time so I have to thank everybody all around me in the team. I want to thank each and every one of them.?

Tom Sykes, stated: ?Congratulations to Johnny because two on the bounce is great. He is riding very well and it is credit to the team and Kawasaki Racing. We have come from way back in 2011 and they have been so consistent in the last few years, fighting for world titles. This year I am not the rider to take the title on the Ninja but at least the trophy is staying inside Kawasaki. It was a really strange race today because I could not get the pace in the beginning but towards the end I felt we improved it. It seems to me like I was also catching Sylvain at the end but the race was too short to make a good ending.?

Guim Roda, Team Manager, stated: ?I would like to pass my biggest congratulations to Johnny for his consecutive title wins. A championship win is something very difficult to achieve, and even more so for two in a row. It has been a very complicated year, much more than people can see from outside, so for me his job has been of great value. I hope he enjoys the moment with all his friends and family, because for sure all in KRT will enjoy it for some days. All the staff from KRT and Kawasaki always try their best to give our riders the right tools to make their dreams come true. We all are very happy for Rea make his dream come true while riding the green power machine.?

Steve Guttridge, Kawasaki Europe Racing Manager, stated: ?We all know that winning any championship is so difficult. Johnny made that look almost easy last year on our fully proven KRT race bike.
We understood that defending that number 1 plate at this level of racing was going to be an even tougher challenge in 2016. Our all-new Ninja ZX-10R proved to be an excellent base. With intelligent development on and around the WorldSBK circuits this season all of the team and JR have made an incredible job again in retaining that Championship title for Kawasaki.?

Shigemi Tanaka of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Motorcycle and Engine Company, Marketing Department, stated:
?Congratulations to Jonathan, it is a great accomplishment to win the World Superbike title in two consecutive years. I am sure that all Kawasaki fans across the world will join KHI in congratulating Jonathan on his achievement and also thanking Tom Sykes for a year of excellent performances. This back-to-back championship highlights once more the excellence of Ninja ZX-10R as a supreme road bike and an unbeatable racing package.?
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Desert Delight as Guintoli Grabs Debut Pata Yamaha Podium


Confident from the start of the final 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship weekend, Sylvain Guintoli solidified his standing under the desert lights by claiming the first podium for Yamaha since its return to the top flight of production racing, much to the delight of his Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team. A strong fight from Alex Lowes at the Losail International Circuit saw the number 22 rider claim seventh.

Leaving the lights from his second row position, after securing fourth in the early evening Superpole, Guintoli instantly encountered Tom Sykes, vying for place for the opening laps before making his move on the third turn. Pushing his Pata Yamaha forwards, the Frenchman quickly entered into a six-lap battle with Nicky Hayden for podium glory, manoeuvring into third place with ten laps to go and holding the approaching American off for the ensuing circuits. Breaking the hold with six to go, Guintoli mastered his YZF-R1 around the 5,380m layout for the remainder of the race, crossing the line to the satisfaction of his crew to claim the 16 points and gifting Yamaha a rostrum visit for the first time since its four-year absence from the class.

An equally strong Superpole performance saw Lowes join his teammate on the second row of the grid, in sixth position, for the opening Qatari race. Caught in a three-way battle for sixth position for the opening revolutions, the British rider held eighth for the majority of the 17-lap contest. Attempting a move on Jordi Torres on a number of occasions, Lowes finally took his chance on the final lap to take seventh and nine championship points at the flag.

Guintoli and Lowes return to Losail for tomorrow's early evening warm up, on track at 17:30 local time, as the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team prepare for the concluding race of the year at 21:00.



Sylvain Guintoli
Race: 3rd / +10.498 / 17 laps. Championship: 11th / 128 points


"It's been a good day with a great race this evening. I started by qualifying well and then took a good rhythm into the race straight away, with a strong pace. I really feel like I raced well, I was pushing on the limit with some good moves in the early stages before pulling away. It's a really positive result for us and a great satisfaction for me to take the first podium for Yamaha in their return, especially after almost five months away from racing, so I'm very happy."
Alex Lowes
Race: 7th / +18.461 / 17 laps. Championship: 12th / 125 points


"I'm really happy for the team to get their first podium of the year! The YZF-R1 was working well today but unfortunately I made a bad start and struggled to make my way back through which was quite frustrating as I know we had the potential for more. We are looking forward to doing a better job tomorrow as we have worked hard this weekend and over the last few events. Everything is starting to feel better so I really want to finish the year with a strong result."
Paul Denning – Team Principal
"It's been a challenging return for Yamaha into the WorldSBK Championship after its four-year absence, despite the obvious base potential of the YZF-R1 as a production machine. The level has improved over the course of the year but for a number of reasons hasn't always been reflected in the result and for Sylvain to achieve the podium today is massively pleasing for him after his comeback from the horrific Imola crash, and of course a confidence booster for everyone else involved in the project who have worked so hard over the course of the season. It wasn't an easy podium, Sylvain had to pass some of the best riders in the championship to get there but both bike and rider really looked like they belonged in that position, many congratulations once again.

"Alex is of course pleased to see the R1 on the podium but disappointed, as any top competitor would be, that he wasn't the one to achieve it. Nonetheless we all thought he rode a very solid and controlled race, never gave up and got a reward in passing Torres in the last sector of the last lap.

"Both riders will be looking for further improvements in the race tomorrow, and lets hope we can finish the 2016 season in a similar fashion."
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Great recovery to seventh for Hayden in final race of the season


The lights on the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship went off today as the series lived its final race of the season at the Losail International Circuit. Honda WorldSBK Team?s Nicky Hayden and Michael van der Mark finished in 7th and 11th places, respectively, at the end of a shortened 10-lap race two in Qatar. The initial encounter was red flagged during the eighth lap after a technical problem occurred to the bike of local rider Saeed Al Sulaiti.

After starting from pit-lane, Nicky Hayden made his way up to 15th position before the red flag was deployed. At the restart, the 35-year-old American gained some positions and, in the final four laps, he was able to find some extra pace that allowed him to join the 4-way battle for fifth. Hayden made a couple of successful moves on Fores and De Rosa before the chequered flag to end up seventh.

Michael van der Mark got a great launch off row three but ended up losing several positions as he was pushed wide at turn one. The former World Supersport Champion made up some ground and by lap eight he was back to ninth place. When the new race got underway, van der Mark moved up to eighth place but could not hold on to it and finished eleventh in his last race with the team and Honda.

The final standings see Michael van der Mark and Nicky Hayden in fourth and fifth places, respectively.

Nicky Hayden 69-7th

It has not been an easy day. Towards the end of the race yesterday we started experiencing a little bit of a problem. We hoped it was due to some changes we made but as soon as I went out in the warm up it was still there so I only did one lap and that was it. The team had to change the engine and we had to start from the pit-lane, which is not nice but those are the rules! I got away pretty well, was chipping away and making some moves and luckily for me the race was red flagged. I was back in the group although still back in 15th place but again I started chipping away and had some nice battles and in the end I was seventh, which from pit-lane is definitely not bad! I also was able to make up a couple of places on the last lap and that was nice, too. All things considered, given the time we also lost in warm up, it was not an easy day but we salvaged something. I want to thank the team, all my crew, the sponsors and everybody behind me: I?m now looking forward to next year.

Michael van der Mark 60-11th

I really good start in the first race but I had a big moment in turn one as I got hit from behind. I was way back again and was struggling to get up to speed. After the red flag we changed a little bit the bike setup for the second start and I got away quite well again, but even with new tyres I struggled to find the right grip. It was quite frustrating, because I thought we would have made quite a step forward but thing simply didn?t work today. Of course, I wish the season and my journey with Honda would have ended with a better result, but fourth in the championship is a great achievement and I want to thank all the guys for the hard work they have done. I think we can be really happy with what we?ve done this year.

Pieter Breddels -Technical Manager

The day didn?t start off well as we had to change the engine on Nicky?s bike and that meant he had to start from pit-lane. The red flag really came to our assistance and in the new 10-lap sprint race he showed a great pace, especially at the end. So all in all, compared to how it looked at the beginning, a seventh place is a pretty good result. Michael unfortunately wasn?t as comfortable as expected in the first part of the race, so we decided to make some changes during the red flag break. He still didn?t have the right amount grip and that made him an easy target for his rivals. Eleventh is not the result we would have hoped for Michael?s last race with us, but we want to thank him for an amazing four years together. He has many years of racing ahead of him so, who knows, maybe our paths will cross again at some point?
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Red Flag Cuts Short Guintoli's Double Podium Dash


Sylvain Guintoli concluded his season with the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team, and Yamaha's returning year in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, with an almost fairy-tale ending, closing in on second position at the mid-point of Losail International Circuit's final race. However, a red flag on the eighth lap meant it wasn't to be and a hard-fought fourth position in the 10-lap restart proved to be his swansong. An equally dramatic turn of events left Alex Lowes fighting from the back of the grid to claim a top-10 finish in the evening's restarted second race.

Rapid from the off, Guintoli looked to be easily on for a double podium as the last race of the year got underway. Running third from the first lap, an early tussle first with Tom Sykes and then Xavi Fores was soon put to rest as he confidently got into a smooth rhythm. Picking up the pace as he broke the chasing pack and headed for second he was untimely stopped by the red flag, as a competitor's machine left oil on the track. A clean-up operation and quick restart procedure was engaged shortly after and the race was reduced to a 10-lap dash.

A disappointing restart saw Guintoli fighting from fifth place on the opening lap, with the newly-crowned Champion Jonathan Rea dropping him to sixth a few corners later as his pace on new rubber failed to match that of his earlier effort. Regrouping, the Frenchman continued his charge, launching to fourth after as many laps and hunting for the trio ahead. With time in the sprint race quickly running out, he was ultimately unable to bridge the gap needed to remount the podium. Consolidating fourth at the flag to round out his most successful weekend of the season, Guintoli finishes 11th in the WorldSBK Championship on 141 points, having completed 15 of the 26 races.

Caught out by an uncharacteristically bad start, Lowes found himself trapped in the first turn mix as the race began, coming together in a three-rider clash and running far off the circuit. Managing to remain on his YZF-R1 and return to the action, the British rider found himself at the back of the pack, in 24th, and with a mountain to climb as the race unfolded. Pushing himself and his Yamaha he regained five places before the red flag came out, sitting him 19th on the grid for the second attempt.

Renewed by the restart, Lowes jumped four positions as the condensed contest began, continuing to climb a further three places in the next revolution before settling into a rhythm and catching the main group. Promoting himself to 11th on lap seven, Lowes had the top-10 firmly in his sights, achieving the move on the final lap to take a well-earned six points, bringing his total to 131 and sitting him 12th in the final standings.

2016 may have drawn to a close but there is little time to reflect as the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team returns to Europe. Preparations are already underway for the closely-following 2017 season with two winter tests planned for the coming-weeks ahead of the season opener at Australia's Phillip Island in mid-February.

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team would like to thank Sylvain for his hard work, dedication and professionalism in assisting the development of the YZF-R1 throughout its returning year to the WorldSBK Championship. This weekend has provided the perfect reward for these efforts and everyone at Crescent and Yamaha wish him all the best in his future racing career.

Sylvain Guintoli
Race: 4th / +8.493 / 10 laps. Championship: 11th / 141 points


"It was a shame about the red flag that's for sure, because, even more so today we had a very strong pace on used tyres but were lacking the outright pace with the new tyres. For the first race, it was a perfect race for me, a perfect start and a perfect first-half anyway. I had a really good start and didn't lose too much in the opening laps, managed to hang in there and then when the red flag came out, it was on two or three laps where I had been catching Tom and pulling away quite a lot from fourth, so it looked and I felt really good.

"In the restart I tried to fight as much as I could but our pace with new tyres just wasn't strong enough. It's a shame, it would have been a podium without the red flag but we've finished on the strongest performances of the year and I feel like I'm ready to fight another day."
Alex Lowes
Race: 10th / +14.414 / 10 laps. Championship: 12th / 131 points


"A disappointing weekend for me in terms of results, but honestly it pretty much sums up my year. I had a problem with the starts which meant that I got away slow, normally on this bike it has been a strong point for me this year, so that in itself was disappointing. Because I didn't get a good start, I was in turn one with van der Mark on the inside and Savadori on the outside and I literally had nowhere to go, we all came together and I ran off track. It's a racing incident, one of those things, and obviously I got lucky with the race being red flagged.

"In the restart, to come from the back of the grid to 10th place in 10 laps was quite good, it's the best pace I've had all weekend, very similar to Sylvain and after yesterday that's really positive because obviously he outperformed me then, so to close that gap right up today is good. It's been a disappointing year as a whole but the team have worked really hard, it's really nice for them to get their first podium and although my results weren't great I think I rode well this weekend - I've not made any mistakes and I've brought the bike home as best as I could. It is what it is, I feel fit and healthy, the best I've felt all year so I'm looking forward to winter testing and upping my game next year!"
Paul Denning – Team Principal
"At some stages the comeback season in WorldSBK for Yamaha has been very challenging so it's quite strange to feel disappointed with a fourth place finish in the final race of the year! Sylvain's track position and pace when the race was stopped would have seen him finish, at worst, on the podium again in third, but more likely in second position - but we can't really complain. It was another strong performance after the restart and overall a superb weekend for Sylvain. Thanks to him and his crew for their effort and commitment.

"On paper for Alex, today doesn't look so positive, but having had an extremely near-crash in the first corner melee in the first part of the race, in which he was lucky to stay on two wheels, and starting in 19th on the restart, within the short space of just 10 laps he forced his way up into the top-10 and far more importantly he had a much better pace than yesterday and was able to ride with more speed and more confidence.

"Thanks to everyone at Yamaha, all the team's partners, and to all the team members for their efforts this season. 2017 starts in a couple of weeks with our tests in Spain and we can't wait to get to work."
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Kawasaki Riders Go 1-2 In The Final Rankings After Double Podium

A remarkable year for Kawasaki and KRT riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes was rounded off by a 1-2 finish in the Riders? Championship, as Sykes retained his overall second place with a second place finish. He came home just ahead of Rea after a shortened ten-lap race two at Losail. Jonathan Rea had won the championship itself the day before but the final points scores ended up Rea 498 and Sykes 447 after the very last race of 13-round season.

In 2016 Kawasaki and its official KRT squad won all the major titles on offer ? for riders, manufacturers and team. The championship 1-2 for Rea and Sykes was the final part of the overall winning package for the Ninja ZX-10R. Remarkably, all this on-track success came in the first year of a new model, which was only launched a year ago.

The final race of the year got underway on schedule at 21.00 local time in Qatar and was planned for 17-laps. After an oil spill the red flags came out and the track had to be cleaned. A shorter 10-lap restart began almost 45 minutes after the first, and with full championship points issued.

Rea had run-on early in the first red-flagged race and was down in ninth on the grid for the restart instead of the pole position he had earned on Saturday. Sykes was second off the grid in the restart and harried eventual winner Chaz Davies, the only rider who could catch and pass Tom to take second in the points.

As Rea improved his pace and looked to win the final race of his second back-to-back championship season, he overtook Tom and closed in on the lead of Davies. Unable to catch and pass before the final flag he eased up and Sykes secured second place to maintain his overall second in the championship.

With both KRT riders on the podium their 2016 statistics grew again and made happy reading for rider and manufacturer alike. Rea, the 2015 and 2016 champion, has scored nine race wins this year, taken 23 podiums in 26 races, two pole positions and six fastest laps ? including the new Losail lap record of 1?56.974, which he set on lap three today.

Sykes? latest podium gives him 20 for the season, including five wins. He has earned eight more Superpole wins in 2016 and six fastest laps.

In the final Manufacturers? Championship standings, Kawasaki has 582, 65 more than the nearest rival.

Jonathan Rea, stated: ?I was trying to get to Chaz to win the first attempted race. When I started the bike felt good but when I approached turn one I could not shift gears as a sensor had failed so I ran-on. I lost places so the red flag saved me when it came out. The crew changed it really quickly for the restart and we made a step forward. Today I rode with my heart; rode like I can. In a ten-lap race, starting from ninth place, the maths did not stack up well! I got beaten-up in the first two corners and spent too long behind Leon Haslam and Tom. Chaz had a bit of a gap on me but I closed it right down. When I saw it was not possible to win I decided to work for the team and Kawasaki. We rode a really, really fast race here. A lap record, a pole position and a world championship came our way this weekend, so Qatar has been pretty good to me.?

Tom Sykes, stated:
?To finish runner up has a better ring to it than third and Kawasaki has gone 1-2 in the Riders? Championship this year. It was a strange weekend in some ways but finally in the first part of race two, which eventually got red-flagged, I was preparing for a longer race. I think our pace at the end could have also been quite good over 17-laps. In the restart to finally do some 1?57 laps was something unexpected. After Jonathan passed me he was closing in on Chaz but obviously when he looked at Chaz?s lap time he would have had to do something special to win. Jonathan has had two great seasons and he has been the man to beat. It was a very good gesture from the other side of the team and this is something that I appreciate so much.?

Guim Roda, Team Manager, stated: ?This is the first year of the current model Ninja ZX-10R?s introduction and it has taken the Manufacturers? title, plus first and second in the championship. Sometimes, there are in life bigger things than your own interests, and that makes life magic and exciting. Today it was possible, for the first time ever, for Kawasaki to finish first and second in the Riders? Championship. Be sure next year the competition will be there again and Rea and Sykes will provide a big show to the world again. Congratulations to Tom and congratulations to Johnny - you give the team something we lost in the past.?

Steve Guttridge, Kawasaki Europe Racing Manager, stated:
?We won the Manufacturers? Championship, the Team Championship and had first and second places in the Riders? Championship. I am absolutely delighted and the guys did a fantastic job this year again. They have stepped it up another level with the new Ninja ZX-10R.?

Leon Haslam (Pedercini Racing Team) made a remarkable charge in the final running of the ten lap second race, finishing fifth in his return to WorldSBK as a one-off rider. Roman Ramos (GoEleven Kawasaki) finished 14th in the race and in doing so also finished 14th in the final championship rankings.

Local rider Saeed Al Sulaiti (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was out of race two with a technical issue but Grillini Racing Kawasaki riders Gianluca Vizziello and Dominic Schmitter finished the ten-lap race 17th and 18th respectively.
 
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