Jonathan Rea extends his WSBK winning streak in Portugal

Jonathan Rea has taken two stunning wins at Portimao Portugal, extending his winning streak to six races, making for a personal record and further expanding his WorldSBK standings lead.

Rea dominates at Portimao WSBK

Jonathan Rea saying after Race 2, “The run right now is incredible. It was a really tough race, as I had to fight a lot in the beginning. I made a very good start and had good track position early on. At turn five an opportunity opened up behind two riders and I found myself right behind Tom. He proved very hard to pass. I made a pass stick in T13, and chased Chaz down within a lap. Then it took me so many laps to go past him because he was braking so late, and his bike was so fast in the straight. Once I got past I just concentrated on making a couple of clean laps and setting my rhythm. The pace today was a little bit slower because the temperature had risen a bit and also I used the tyre a little bit more coming through the pack. I put everything into the race and managed to get 25 points, so I am really happy.”

Jonathan Rea

WorldSBK Superbikes Race 1

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has extended his incredible winning streak at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve with another victory in Race One on Saturday, his sixth consecutive win at the Portuguese rollercoaster and his eleventh of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season. The Northern Irishman was stunningly dominant at Portimao, taking the lead inside the first lap and crossing the line comfortably ahead of Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in second and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) in third.

WorldSBK 2018 – Portimao

There was drama very early on at Portimao for polesitter Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia). The Irishman had started from the front for the first time since 2013, but a slow move off the blocks saw him get caught up in the field of riders behind at turn 1. A few seconds later, Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) misjudged his turn, clashing with Laverty and taking both men out early.

Jonathan Rea took advantage of the early chaos, flying into the lead ahead of Melandri through the exit from turn 1, with Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) – in search of his first podium finish in WorldSBK – close behind, while Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) suddenly found the form that had evaded him since Friday, shooting up to fifth position inside one lap from fourteenth on the grid.

Chaz Davies

While Rea was eventually beaten for the Superpole earlier in the day, the Northern Irishman’s strength at Portimao this weekend and at the official test three weeks ago is his unbelievable consistency. Coupled with the best overall pace on track – keeping his lap times under 1’43 for the entire first half of the race – there was no stopping Rea in Race One, as he swept away into a 2-3 second gap.

There was promise of a thrilling tricolore battle behind for second, but it lasted just half the race: Savadori slid out at the end of the main straight in lap 12 and put an end to a miserable afternoon for the Milwaukee Aprilia team, just hours after their best qualifying performance of 2018.

Tom Sykes

With one Italian out, the other, Melandri strolled to his best result since the Acerbis Czech Round in second, turning good pace into a fantastic result. Michael van der Mark, completing a quiet yet professional race behind, took the remaining podium place, his eighth of the season; Davies followed with an incredibly valuable fourth place that takes him straight to P1 on tomorrow’s grid, in what had previously been a very difficult race weekend.

Marco Melandri

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) made it to the checkered flag in fifth, completing a solid points-haul for the green machines. Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) meanwhile finished Race One in sixth, his best result since returning to WorldSBK this season.

Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) celebrated his future debut in MotoGP with seventh position at the Portuguese rollercoaster, which pushes him ahead of Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) in the championship standings, after a mechanical failure ended the Brit’s race early.

Toprak Razgatlioglu

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was the best independent rider in Race One at Portimao, coming in eighth and just ahead of fellow 2018 debutant Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in ninth. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) completed the top ten after struggling through the early stages of the race.

Race 1 Results

J. REA GBR Kawasaki
M. MELANDRI ITA Ducati +1.575
M. VAN DER MARK NED Yamaha +4.215
C. DAVIES GBR Ducati +10.760
T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki +12.911
L. BAZ FRA BMW +19.685
J. TORRES ESP MV MV Agusta +21.974
T. RAZGATLIOGLU TUR Kawasaki +24.855
M. RINALDI ITA Ducati +30.302
A. LOWES GBR Yamaha +32.408

WorldSBK Superbikes Race 2

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) showed tremendous composure once again to win his seventh consecutive race at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve and his sixth consecutive in this year’s MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, after a thrilling battle through two thirds of the race with Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). He was accompanied on the podium by Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

WorldSBK 2018 – Portimao

A brilliant start from Rea pushed him straight up to third inside lap one, with Davies and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) keeping their grid positions in one and two. Flying past his teammate in lap three, the Northern Irishman set up another stunning duel with the Welshman, one that we’ve seen repeated several times this year.

The battle quickly became tougher than Rea would have preferred. A first strike at the beginning of lap eight saw Davies defend his position on the exit of turn 1; two laps later, Rea dashed into the slipstream again, this time successfully, but the Ducati found the space to counterattack at the braking point of turn 5. Meanwhile, Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) closed into a mere few tenths of a second of the squabbling pair, with van der Mark also moving near.

The pressure eventually got to the Welshman, however, in lap 12: Davies went wide at turn 10, being comfortably passed by the Kawasaki with no chance to respond. Melandri tried a move on his teammate for second on the return through the main straight, but both went in too hot, leaving the door open for the trailing Yamaha to swoop in and climb to second in one smooth move.

Marco Melandri

With the memory of their stunning battles at Assen and Donington Park fresh in the minds of all WorldSBK fans, Rea and van der Mark set out for another thriller. The reigning champion’s pace was however just too strong for the Dutchman to surpass at this point, and he remains undefeated since Laguna Seca.

Melandri secured third place at the flag, joining Rea and van der Mark on the podium for the third consecutive race. While Davies’ pace faded off after his mid-race battles, the Welshman did manage to hold off Sykes for fourth position and complete a good weekend considering the circumstances leading up to the Portuguese Round.

Chaz Davies

Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) made amends for his mistake in Race One by rising to sixth in Sunday’s race, one position ahead of his teammate Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia). Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team) was the best independent rider on track at Portimao, crossing the line in eighth.

Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) couldn’t keep hold of his front row start and finishes Race Two in ninth position, just ahead of Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) in tenth and eleventh, respectively.

WSBK Portimao Race 2 Results

J. REA GBR Kawasaki
M. VAN DER MARK NED Yamaha +1.189
M. MELANDRI ITA Ducati +2.813
C. DAVIES GBR Ducati +4.594
T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki +4.834
L. SAVADORI ITA Aprilia +11.417
E. LAVERTY IRL +11.732
M. RINALDI ITA Ducati +12.507
L. BAZ FRA GULF BMW +12.741
X. FORES ESP Ducati +18.973

Superbike Standings after WSBK Portimao

Jonathan Rea 420 Kawasaki
Chaz Davies 304 Ducati
Michael Van Der Mark 284 Yamaha
Tom Sykes 240 Kawasaki
Marco Melandri 229 Ducati
Alex Lowes 204 Yamaha
Xavi Fores 170 Ducati
Eugene Laverty 122 Aprilia
Toprak Razgatlioglu 108 Kawasaki
Loris Baz 103 BMW

World Supersport: Caricasulo scores second win

Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) has scored an important win at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve ahead of the impressive Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) and Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag), in perhaps the most extraordinary and bizarre race end in FIM Supersport World Championship history, after Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) was denied a return to the top of the rostrum twice in the space of five minutes.

A lightning start from Jules Cluzel (NRT) at the lights moved him immediately into first place. It lasted just one lap however, as Mahias made good use of slipstream to move back in front at the exit from the main straight.

Then, disaster struck: championship leader Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) attempted a move into second at turn 5, another in a series of stunning battles that both men have held this year. But this was one move too many: the German slipped, taking both him and Cluzel out. A racing incident that nonetheless harmed the Frenchman the most, as he was forced to abandon while Cortese, holding on to his machine all the way down, managed to recover and head back in pursuit of some points.

With their two strongest rivals out of action, this ninth race of the season quickly turned into a GRT battle. Separated by just a point in the standings and with both riders in search of their second race win of 2018, Mahias rapidly opened a one second gap with Caricasulo, taking the fastest lap of the race along the way, and entered the final lap with a comfortable lead.

What happened next was almost too ludicrous to describe. A puncture going through the final straight for Mahias apparently put his race to an end in dramatic fashion, a heartbreaking final twist in a tough season for the reigning champion.

But then the red flags came out: Rob Hartog (Team Hartog – Against Cancer) and Borja Quero Martínez (EMPERADOR Racing Team) had crashed together at turn 11 in the previous lap, meaning that the results going into the penultimate lap of 18 would be final… As long as every rider makes it back to the pits within five minutes of the official race end.

With his machine still rolling, Mahias set out around the Portuguese track without a rear tyre, for perhaps the longest lap of his career. In incredible conditions and crashing twice along the way, Mahias made it to the pits in what he initially thought was within the time limit – but it was not. As such, everyone moved up a place, with Caricasulo taking an unlikely yet incredibly valuable second consecutive win, and an exhausted Mahias was left with no points for his efforts.

British rider Kyle Smith managed to move up to second with this, taking his first podium of the season and the first for a Honda bike, after overtaking De Rosa – who has now strung six consecutive podium finishes together – for third in the late stages of the race.

Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) takes fourth in the final results, a good result for the Swiss rider after a poor start. Hidden beneath all the late drama, Cortese made it to the flag in an incredible fifth position despite that lap two crash and increases his championship lead against all odds.

Hannes Soomer (Racedays) concluded a fantastic weekend for the Estonian with sixth place, ahead of Ayrton Badovini (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) in seventh and Thomas Gradinger (NRT) in eighth, with Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in ninth and Hector Barberà (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) tenth in his WorldSSP debut.

World Supersport Portimao Race Result

Caricasulo ITA Yamaha
Smith GBR Honda +5.784
De Rosa ITA MV Agusta +6.199
Krummenacher SUI Yamaha +9.581
Cortese GER Yamaha +20.419

World Supersport Standings after Portimao

Sandro Cortese 149 Yamaha
Jules Cluzel 133 Yamaha
Federico Caricasulo 129 Yamaha
Randy Krummenacher 129 Yamaha
Raffaele De Rosa 119 MV Agusta
Lucas Mahias 103 Yamaha
Kyle Smith 59 Honda
Luke Stapleford 52 Yamaha
Anthony West 51 Kawasaki
Thomas Gradinger 48 Yamaha

World Supersport 300: Deroue wins at Portimao

If the stakes were high here at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, they just increased tenfold for Magny-Cours. Scott Deroue (Motoport Kawasaki) has won his first FIM Supersport 300 World Championship race since Assen 2017 and moves to just ten points behind championship leader Ana Carrasco (DS Junior Team), who couldn’t finish higher than tenth. Mika Pérez (Kawasaki ParkingGO Team) and Manuel González (BCD Pertamina Junior Team by MS Racing) completed the podium at Portimao in second and third, respectively.

Ferran Hernandez – Supersport 300

As usual this was a tight, electric affair in WorldSSP300, with the front riders on the grid keeping strong and battling it out from the early stages. Deroue picked his way through the front after a slow start, moving to P1 and taking a controlled lead, but never quite pulling away, while an army of Spanish riders behind pushed through around Portimao, including Pérez, González, Daniel Valle (BCD Yamaha MS Racing) and Maria Herrera (BCD Yamaha MS Racing), who was close to securing her first WorldSSP300 podium before a technical issue forced her out with one lap remaining.

None of these was the championship leader however, who struggled at Portimao one year on from her famous first race win. Carrasco fell to 17th at the start and could only make it to 11th at the flag – eventually 10th, after Borja Sánchez (ETG Racing) was handed a post-race penalty due to irresponsible riding. She makes her way to Magny-Cours now with up to three other riders threatening her title chase: Deroue, Pérez and Luca Grunwald (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team), who crashed at Portimao.

The returning Robert Schotman (Motoport KawasakI) finished an impressive fourth at Portimao, ahead of Enzo De La Vega (GP Project Team) in fifth and the polesitter Tom Edwards (Nutec-Benjan-Kawasaki) in sixth, his best WorldSSP300 result. Valle was seventh, with wildcard Ferran Hernandez Moyano (Kawasaki PALMETO PL Racing) in eighth and Dorren Loureiro (DS Junior Team) ninth.

World Supersport 300 Portimao Race Result

S. DEROUE NED Kawasaki
M. PEREZ ESP Kawasaki +1.243
M. GONZALEZ ESP Yamaha +1.364
R. SCHOTMAN NED Kawasaki +1.389
E. DE LA VEGA FRA Kawasaki +1.558

World Supersport 300 Standings after Portimao

Ana Carrasco 90 Kawasaki
Scott Deroue 80 Kawasaki
Mika Perez 72 Kawasaki
Luca Grunwald 68 KTM
Dorren Loureiro 60 Kawasaki
Borja Sanchez 58 Kawasaki
Galang Hendra Pratama 52 Yamaha
Koen Meuffels 49 KTM
Glenn Van Straalen 47 KTM
Manuel Gonzalez 43 Kawasaki

Superstock 1000: Tamburini blows open title hunt

The European Superstock 1000 Championship title hunt will go down to the wire: Roberto Tamburini (Berclaz Racing Team) has taken a stunning win at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in the penultimate race of the season and opened up a three-way battle for the championship at Magny-Cours in two weeks’ time, as Markus Reiterberger (alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW) could just finish third.

A brilliant start by Reiterberger pushed the championship leader into the front in a matter of seconds, but this time the German was unable to pull away. Quite the opposite: the BMW quickly struggled in the rising heat at Portimao and was passed swiftly by polesitter Federico Sandi (MOTOCORSA Racing) in lap four and Tamburini one lap later, with Florian Marino (URBIS Yamaha Motoxracing STK Team) also battling for the podium. Reiterberger managed to re-pass the Frenchman in the closing stages for the podium, but this was still not enough to clinch the title.

With Reiterberger out of contention, Tamburini managed to keep his title options alive against all odds. The Italian needed a first ever STK1000 win to go to France with any hope and that’s exactly what he did, passing Sandi halfway through the Portimao race and moving 18 points away from the championship lead.

Maximilian Scheib (Aprilia Racing Team) will also go to Magny-Cours with options, but these became slimmer after the Nolan Portuguese Round as the Chilean could only finish fifth, dropping to third in the standings and 19 points behind Reiterberger. It could have been even worse for Scheib, as he squabbled for his position in the final laps with teammate Luca Vitali (Aprilia Racing Team); the Italian however crashed one turn before meeting the chequered flag, handing sixth place to Alessandro Delbianco (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team).