WSBK - Catalunya Spain

[wull]

Following their dramatic incident at Magny-Cours, Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea found themselves together on-track with the six-time champion following Bautista.

In order to position himself behind the Ducati rider, Rea made an ambitious move on Scott Redding heading into turn five, with the BMW rider also keen to follow Bautista.

After agreeing to a new deal with Aruba.it Ducati, Rinaldi was the early pacesetter as he led the way from Rea and Bautista.


Then began an exchange between Rea and Bautista as the Kawasaki rider attempted a move at turn ten, before running wide on corner exit which allowed Bautista to get the switchback.

While the majority of the riders headed back into pit lane following their opening stint, Bautista was one of the only riders to keep going as moved ahead of Rea for second spot.

Home favourite Lecuona also showed impressive pace as he jumped ahead of reigning world champion Toprak Razgatlioglu for P4.

Lecuona’s FP1 session then got even better after moving to the top of the leaderboard by over half a second from Rinaldi.

Clearly in qualifying trim, Lecuona was also 1.6 seconds quicker than team-mate Xavi Vierge.

With the three title contenders and Rinaldi opting out of a time attack run, Lecuona held strong at the top of the timinigsheets, his first time topping a Superbike session.

Michael Van Der Mark ran into early trouble as a mechanical issue on just his second flying lap meant an early return to pit lane and end of session for the Dutch rider.

In other BMW news, Loris Baz will officially be staying at Bonovo Action BMW, adding yet another name to the 2023 WorldSBK rider line-up.


2022 Superbike Catalunya Weekend Schedule

Friday

Free Practice 1 - 09:30-10:15

Free Practice 2 - 14:00-14:45

Saturday

Free Practice 3 - 08:00-08:30

Superpole - 10:10-10:25

Race One 13:00

Sunday

Warm-up - 08:00-08:15

Superpole Race - 10:00

Race Two - 13:00



2022 WORLD SUPERBIKE BARCELONA, SPAIN - FREE PRACTICE RESULTS (1)
POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME
1 Iker Lecuona SPA Team HRC WorldSBK 1:41.396s
2 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Racing Ducati +0.535s
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK +0.595s
4 Alvaro Bautista SPA Aruba.It Racing Ducati +0.646s
5 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +0.717s
6 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK +0.747s
7 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +0.962s
8 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team +1.287s
9 Eugene Laverty IRL Bonovo Action BMW +1.292s
10 Xavi Vierge SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +1.348s
11 Scott Redding GBR BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +1.487s
12 Philipp Oettl GER GoEleven Ducati +1.622s
13 Loris Baz FRA Bonovo Action BMW +1.647s
14 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +2.077s
15 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +2.079s
16 Oliver Konig CZE Orelac Racing Kawasaki +2.198s
17 Lucas Mahias FRA Puccetti Kawasaki +2.235s
18 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Motor Sport Yamaha +2.474s
19 Oscar Gutierrez SPA Pedercini Kawasaki +2.496s
20 Roberto Tamburini ITA Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK Team +3.008s
21 Leandro Mercado ARG MIE Honda Racing +3.034s
22 Luca Bernardi SM Barni Spark Ducati Team +3.262s
23 Michael Van Der Mark SPA BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +3.529s
24 Hafizh Syahrin MAL MIE Honda Racing No Time Set

[ChrisW]

Weather forecast suggests there's a chance it'll be wet Saturday & Sunday.

[wull]

Alvaro Bautista ends day-one of the Catalan WorldSBK round fastest after narrowly getting the better of Jonathan Rea in FP2.


After missing out on nearly all of FP1 due to mechanical issues, Michael Van Der Mark enjoyed a much smoother start to FP2.

Setting a hot pace to begin FP2, Bautista was the early pacesetter from fellow Ducati rider Axel Bassani, who was following the championship leader closely.

But as was the case in FP1, it was Michael Ruben Rinaldi who began showing stronger pace than Bautista in order to go quickest.

Struggling down in 13th, Toprak Razgatlioglu made a slow start compared to his rivals Bautista and Rea.

Bautista then responded to Rinaldi’s challenge as he set a time of 1:42.025s which was two tenths quicker than the Italian.

In the midst of a very difficult 2022 campaign aboard his R1, Christophe Ponsson suffered a crash at turn five with just under half the session complete.


After returning to pit lane following his opening stint, Razgatlioglu soon found pace as he moved up from 13th to third.


Like Team HRC team-mate Iker Lecuona this morning - Lecuona ended FP1 fastest - Xavi Vierge started to make a move up the leaderboard with a third of the session remaining.

On course to take over at the top, Vierge then lost time on both Bautista and Rinaldi in sector four which resulted in the former Moto2 rider going third.

A second Yamaha found its way into the gravel when Kohta Nozane crashed at turn ten.

Late improvements from Rea saw the Kawasaki rider go second +0.033s down on Bautista.



2022 WORLD SUPERBIKE BARCELONA, SPAIN - FREE PRACTICE RESULTS (2)
POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME
1 Alvaro Bautista SPA Aruba.It Racing Ducati 1:42.018s
2 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +0.040s
3 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK +0.067s
4 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Racing Ducati +0.103s
5 Xavi Vierge SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +0.203s
6 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK +0.300s
7 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +0.459s
8 Scott Redding GBR BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +0.630s
9 Lucas Mahias FRA Puccetti Kawasaki +0.719s
10 Philipp Oettl GER GoEleven Ducati +0.805s
11 Eugene Laverty IRL Bonovo Action BMW +0.810s
12 Iker Lecuona SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +0.826s
13 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team +0.886s
14 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +0.919s
15 Loris Baz FRA Bonovo Action BMW +1.030s
16 Luca Bernardi SM Barni Spark Ducati Team +1.212s
17 Roberto Tamburini ITA Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK Team +1.577s
18 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +1.581s
19 Michael Van Der Mark SPA BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +1.595s
20 Oscar Gutierrez SPA Pedercini Kawasaki +1.906s
21 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Motor Sport Yamaha +2.161s
22 Leandro Mercado ARG MIE Honda Racing +2.263s
23 Oliver Konig CZE Orelac Racing Kawasaki +2.275s
24 Hafizh Syahrin MAL MIE Honda Racing No Ti

[Skub]

Maybe BMW need the original swinging arm back on this round?

[wull]

Tbf he’s only .6 down and it’s just free practise.

[Skub]

Tbf he’s only .6 down and it’s just free practise.

Him and Micky don't seem happy though,but yeah early days.

[weeksy]

Laverty still rides?????

[wull]

Laverty still rides?????

Retiring from racing at the end of the season

[mangocrazy]

Laverty still rides?????

Retiring from racing at the end of the season

It's overdue - he hasn't troubled the front of the pack for a few years now.

[wull]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/motorsport/62362874.amp


Northern Ireland's Eugene Laverty is to end his World Superbike Championship riding career at the end of this season to take a management role with the Bonovo action BMW Racing team.
The 36-year-old, who was runner-up in the 2013 World Superbike Championship, will become co-owner of the BMW team.
Laverty's career has including racing for BMW Motorrad over three seasons and a two-year stint in MotoGP.
"It's going to be a very interesting new challenge," said Laverty.
The Northern Irishman will become part of team management at Bonovo action BMW alongside owner owner Jürgen Röder and team manager Michael Galinski.
Laverty's position will see him undertaking a role as a riding coach in addition to helping to acquire sponsors for the team.
"Jürgen Röder and Michael Galinski made this proposal to me and I really appreciate that they believe I can fulfil this role", Laverty said.
"I wanted to finish in a strong way with some decent results, but obviously after the last rounds I had to change my thinking a little bit, as I'm having some difficulties.
"I really enjoy to be part of this team though, as it's probably the best team I've ever ridden in during my career. And opportunities like this don't come along very often."
After competing in the British Supersport Championship, Laverty made his debut in the World Superbike Championship in 2011 and he has clinched 13 race wins and 35 podium positions during his career in the series.
His last race win came at Phillip Island in Australia in 2014 before his move to MotoGP for the 2015 and 2016 campaigns.
Laverty's career has also included twice finishing runner-up in the World Supersport Championship.
He joined BMW's factory team in 2020 but was dropped in favour of Dutch rider Michael van der Mark for the following year.
The Northern Irishman rode for BMW satellite team RC Squadra Corse for four rounds of the 2021 season and was called into the factory team to replace the injured Tom Sykes at Jerez and Portimao before securing a BMW ride for 2022.

[mangocrazy]

Glad to see he's staying in the paddock and can carry on doing what he loves. 2013 was the best shot he had at a WC, but he just had too many DNFs. Always struck me as a decent fella, but like a lot of riders couldn't quite translate his promise into championships.

[wull]

1hr ahead of us

[wull]

Free Practise 3

Only six riders rolled the dice in tricky Saturday morning conditions in north-eastern Spain






It was a damp start to Saturday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain following a massive overnight thunderstorm. However, the track was drying and the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship riders were ready for action, although only a handful went out in the tricky damp conditions. With the chequered flag being flown, it was Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) who took the plaudits as he secured a fine P1, although only six riders went out on track.
Leaving it late to go to the top, Loris Baz was the rider who set the final flying lap which took him to the top of the times.

Baz is always one to watch in tricky conditions and put BMW on top in FP3. On track for most of the session, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was getting valuable data, with the Championship leader setting the pace and putting his Ducati on top sporadically throughout the session on his way to second. Reigning World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) was able to top the timesheets with just over two and a half minutes left to go. Razgatlioglu isn’t known as a wet weather specialist, but he led the race in the tricky conditions in Barcelona last year, before retiring with an electrical problem. At the end of the session, Razgatlioglu took third.


Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) was fourth as he got crucial laps in during the session, finishing ahead of Independent Ducati duo Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven; they were the only riders to set a lap time in FP3..

One rider who went out but didn’t register a lap time was Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team); the American went out on slicks but came straight back into pitlane, not happy with the feeling on track with dry rubber. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) didn’t go out in the session as he stayed safe in pitlane, whilst Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team) has been ruled out for the weekend due to an upper respiratory tract infection.


Top six after FP3 in WorldSBK, full results here:
1. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) 1’52.973s
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.540s
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +1.656s
4. Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) +1.825s
5. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +3.850s
6. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) +4.041s

[weeksy]

Honda looking a bit more respectable this weekend currently

[wull]

Honda looking a bit more respectable this weekend currently

They went well in the testing there but they have so much experience there in Moto GP, easy for them to get up to speed. That was a bit frantic.

[wull]

2022 WORLD SUPERBIKE BARCELONA, SPAIN - SUPERPOLE RESULTS
POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME
1 Iker Lecuona SPA Team HRC WorldSBK 1:40.766s
2 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +0.023s
3 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +0.217s
4 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK +0.225s
5 Alvaro Bautista SPA Aruba.It Racing Ducati +0.382s
6 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team +0.442s
7 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +0.828s
8 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK +0.872s
9 Xavi Vierge SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +0.917s
10 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Racing Ducati +1.070s
11 Lucas Mahias FRA Puccetti Kawasaki +1.171s
12 Philipp Oettl GER GoEleven Ducati +1.262s
13 Scott Redding GBR BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +1.272s
14 Loris Baz FRA Bonovo Action BMW +1.618s
15 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +1.703s
16 Eugene Laverty IRL Bonovo Action BMW +1.703s
17 Luca Bernardi SM Barni Spark Ducati Team +1.707s
18 Roberto Tamburini ITA Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK Team +1.743s
19 Michael Van Der Mark SPA BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +2.150s
20 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Motor Sport Yamaha +2.239s
21 Oscar Gutierrez SPA Pedercini Kawasaki +2.309s
22 Oliver Konig CZE Orelac Racing Kawasaki +2.416s
23 Leandro Mercado ARG MIE Honda Racing

[wull]

Did anyone else see Leon Camier speak to Leucona about Jonathan Rea? I wonder if there’s a new game plan going on

[wull]

2022 WORLD SUPERBIKE BARCELONA, SPAIN - RACE RESULTS (1)
POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME
1 Alvaro Bautista SPA Aruba.It Racing Ducati 21 Laps
2 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +8.665s
3 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team +9.289s
4 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Racing Ducati +10.783s
5 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK +13.568s
6 Iker Lecuona SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +13.655s
7 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +14.013s
8 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +14.839s
9 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK +29.775s
10 Eugene Laverty IRL Bonovo Action BMW +30.094s
11 Loris Baz FRA Bonovo Action BMW +30.390s
12 Xavi Vierge SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +31.755s
13 Roberto Tamburini ITA Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK Team +33.055s
14 Lucas Mahias FRA Puccetti Kawasaki +35.962s
15 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Motor Sport Yamaha +37.498s
16 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +45.108s
17 Oscar Gutierrez SPA Pedercini Kawasaki +46.958s
18 Leandro Mercado ARG MIE Honda Racing +55.315s
19 Oliver Konig CZE Orelac Racing Kawasaki +57.534s
20 Michael Van Der Mark SPA BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team DNF
21 Philipp Oettl GER GoEleven Ducati DNF
22 Scott Redding GBR BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team DNF
23 Luca Bernardi SM Barni Spark Ducati Team DNF

[Skub]

Bau-Bau smoked them all today,no one had anything for him.

[Skub]

Btw,Gerloff didn't half talk like a washing machine in his post race interview.