An eventful weekend at Montmeló: Andrea Locatelli is WorldSSP World Champion; three different manufacturers win in WorldSBK; outstanding performance by Gerloff who takes the American flag to the podium in his rookie European season

Michael van der Mark wins the Tissot Superpole Race and Chaz Davies wins Race 2. Thrilling Race 2 in WorldSSP300 with the win going to Japanese rider Yuta Okaya.

Barcelona (Spain), 20 September 2020 – Race Sunday at the Barcelona – Catalunya circuit finished out an extremely eventful weekend and therefore brought the first Acerbis Catalunya Round of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship to a close. Three different manufacturers won as many races in the premier class and the World Supersport category already crowned its champion in the talented Andrea Locatelli.

In the Tissot Superpole Race, Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1) rode his Yamaha to the top step of the podium to celebrate his first win of the season. Second place went to Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and third to Loris Baz Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1) for his second podium of the year.

In WorldSBK Race 2, on the other hand, Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) took home a well-deserved victory after a solid weekend, with Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1) finishing second after a brilliant battle with Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1) who, in his rookie year in Europe, took his best career result and brought the American flag back to the podium after a four-year absence.

WorldSSP Race 2 was dominated by Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) who was crowned FIM Supersport World Champion, with the podium being rounded out by Kawasaki riders Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R).

The Montmeló race weekend afforded Pirelli engineers with the opportunity to gather important feedback on their standard tyres from this brand new circuit. In the premier class, the standard Pirelli tyres were once again the preferred solutions among the riders on the grid today. In the Tissot Superpole Race, almost all the riders on the grid chose to race with the super soft standard SCX tyre (option A) on the rear and the soft standard SC1 (option B) on the front. In WorldSBK Race 2, the riders unanimously chose the standard SC1 solutions (option B) for the front, whereas for the rear, most of the riders on the grid preferred the standard SC0 (option B).

Tissot Superpole Race:

Pole position rider Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) got off the grid extremely well at the start, moving into the race lead straight away but followed closely by Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1), Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR) and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMWS1000 RR). Also with an outstanding start, Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1) moved up from his fourteenth spot on the grid and, thanks to an outstanding pace, clawed his way up through the ranks to sixth place. The leading group was extremely compact and on the third lap, the Honda ridden by Spaniard Bautista managed to overtake Michael van der Mark’s Yamaha and Rea’s Kawasaki on the straight, but his lead was short-lived due to a crash on turn four which brought his race to an early end. This time, however, it was Michael van der Mark who took the lead ahead of Rea, Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1) and Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), the latter also with a spectacular comeback ride. The final laps held no surprises, with Michael van der Mark on Yamaha taking his first win of the season ahead of Jonathan Rea and Loris Baz.

Tissot Superpole Race Standings:

1. M. van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
2. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
3. L. Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
4. C. Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
5. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
6. M. R. Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
7. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
8. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
9. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMWS1000 RR)
10. J. Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing / Yamaha YZF R1)
11. E. Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
12. X. Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
13. L. Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
14. V. Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
15. S. Barrier (Brixx Performance / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
16. T. Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR)

• RT. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
• RT. F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
• RT. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
• RT. S. Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)

WorldSBK Race 2:

The twenty laps of the final race at the Montmeló Circuit began spectacularly with Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1), Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1) leading the pack. The race was shaping up to be a thriller straight away and, while Ducati riders Rinaldi and Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), who earned the Pirelli Best Lap Award on the third lap, moved into the lead ahead of the Yamaha riders, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) were battling it out for fifth. About midway through the race, the Welsh Ducati rider skilfully fended off various attacks by Michael van der Mark, while Rinaldi dropped back out of podium range and was forced to retire on the penultimate lap due to a technical problem. The blue Yamaha riders rode an astonishing final lap, battling for the second step of the podium, with Michael van der Mark getting the better of Gerloff, who took the American flag to the podium after four long years, and Chaz taking home a well-deserved victory.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

1. C. Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
2. M. van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
3. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
4. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
5. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMWS1000 RR)
6. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
7. E. Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
8. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
9. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
10. L. Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)
11. J. Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing / Yamaha YZF R1)
12. F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
13. L. Zanetti (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
14. X. Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
15. T. Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR)

• RT. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
• RT. S. Barrier (Brixx Performance / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
• RT. M. R. Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
• RT. V. Debise (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
• RT. S. Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)

WorldSSP Race 2:

Just like in Race 1, Yamaha rider Corentin Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) and Kawasaki riders Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) started extremely well, getting ahead of pole man Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6), who found himself in fourth place. The first lap was rife with upsets and surprises that ended with the championship leader’s attempt to take the race lead, but he went wide and dropped back behind Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675). The leading group of six riders, with Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team / Kawasaki ZX-6R) bringing up the rear, was made up of three different manufacturers all within 0,8 seconds of one another, entertaining viewers with one overtake after another, although it was Mahias leading for most of the time. However, Locatelli was having none of it, managing to gain the upper hand against the two Kawasakis by the tenth lap of the race and then pulling the pin to widen the gap steadily. Those positions were confirmed at the end of the race, just as Andrea Locatelli was confirmed 2020 World Champion in the FIM World Supersport class after finishing first ahead of Mahias, second and Oettl, third.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

1. A. Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
2. L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
3. P. Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
4. R. De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675)
5. S. Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
6. I. Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
7. M. Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
8. C. Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
9. D. Webb (WRP Wepol Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
10. H. Soomer (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
11. P. Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth / Yamaha YZF R6)
12. A. Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6)
13. K. Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
14. A. Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
15. L. Cresson (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth / Yamaha YZF R6)
16. G. Van Straalen (MPM Routz Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
17. M. Pons (Dynavolt Honda / Honda CBR600RR)
18. A. Carranza (EMPERADOR Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
19. L. Montella (DK MOTORSPORT / Yamaha YZF R6)
20. G. Erill (DEZA-ISMABON Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-6R)

• RT. G. Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• RT. K. Smith (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
• RT. F. Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675)
• RT. P. Hobelsberger (Dynavolt Honda / Honda CBR600RR)
• RT. C. Öncü (Turkish Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
• RT. O. Iglesias (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)

WorldSSP300 Race 2:

The final event of the weekend was the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship race, with Japanese rider Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400) taking the win after a last lap full of upsets ahead of Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400) and Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400), who finished out an outstanding weekend, moving into the championship lead with a twenty-point gap ahead of his compatriot.

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for the Tissot Superpole Race, WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP Race 2:

For the Tissot Superpole Race, all the riders on the grid chose to race with the soft standard SC1 tyre (option B) on the front, with the exception of Caricasulo, who preferred the standard SC2 solution (option C). For the rear, the standard SCX (option A) was the favourite, mounted on most of the bikes on the grid, whereas the Ducatis ridden by Rinaldi, Redding and Barrier ran on the standard SC0 (option B).

In WorldSBK Race 2, the riders confirmed their choices from the day before on the front, with the standard SC1 solution (option B) mounted on all the bikes on the grid. As for the rear, the grid preferred using the standard SC1 (option B), with the exception of Haslam and Cavalieri, who selected the super soft standard SCX (option A).

Last, but not least, for Race 2 in WorldSSP, on the front, no fewer than twenty-four riders out of twenty-six decided to race on the soft standard SC1 solution (option A), whereas Odendaal e Pons opted for the medium standard SC2 (option B). For rear tyre choice, most of the riders on the grid relied on the standard SC0 solution (option B), whereas Gonzalez, De Rosa, Oettl, Smith, Erill, Van Straalen and Fuligni raced with the Z0360 SC0 development solution.

Pirelli statistics for the Tissot Superpole Race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR) in 1'41.828 on the 2nd lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (19 out of 20 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SCX (17 out of 20 riders)

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 8 rear

Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 76, including 36 front and 40 rear

• Air temperature: 21° C

• Asphalt temperature: 30° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in 1’42.646 on the 3rd lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (20 out of 20 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (18 out of 20 riders)

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 8 rear

Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 76, including 36 front and 40 rear

• Air temperature: 28° C

• Asphalt temperature: 44° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) in 1'45.907 on the 4th lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (24 out of 26 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (19 out of 26 riders)

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Supersport class: 4 front and 4 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 54, including 26 front and 28 rear

• Air temperature: 26° C

• Asphalt temperature: 40° C