The MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship ends with great satisfaction for Pirelli as well because of the performance of their standard DIABLOTM SUPERBIKE tyres

A Ducati one-two closes out a thrilling 2020 MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, but Kawasaki takes the 2020 Manufacturers World Title

Estoril (Portugal), 18 October 2020 – The last day of MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship races ended spectacularly at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal. Ducati took a one-two finish at the end of a race that closed out a weekend full of surprises and upsets.

Finishing on the top step of the podium in WorldSBK Race 2 was Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) ahead of teammate Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Turkish Tissot Superpole Race winner, Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1).

In WorldSSP, Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) triumphed in his final race with the team in the Supersport category, giving us a thrilling victory ahead of Reigning World Champion Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) and Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675).

Last, but not least, in WorldSSP300, Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400) won the race ahead of Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo / Kawasaki Ninja 400) and Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300 / Kawasaki Ninja 400).

Pirelli closed out its seventeenth season as Sole Tyre Supplier for all the classes in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship with great satisfaction in the work done during a particularly unusual year. Like every year, the Italian tyre manufacturer worked to improve its products both to the advantage of the riders who race in the factory derivative championship and in favour of all motorcycle riders who can purchase these products on the market since the tyres used are not prototypes, but standard solutions.

The standard 2020 DIABLO^TM SUPERBIKE solutions, making their début this year in the Supersport and Supersport 300 categories, demonstrated outstanding performance in all three classes and were often preferred by the riders over the development solutions, even in difficult situations and on circuits that were brand new to the championship. This is a testament to their versatility and adaptability to the characteristics of the different tracks and weather conditions found on race weekends.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR), Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6) and Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400) are the 2020 World Champions respectively in the WorldSBK, WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 classes.

In the Superbike class, Kawasaki won the 2020 Manufacturers World Championship with just one point over Ducati, as well as in the Supersport 300 class, whereas Yamaha took the title in the World Supersport class. 

Tissot Superpole Race:

Pole man Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1) took the race lead again today, pulling the pin and riding a solitary race ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1) who moved up a position, Leon Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR) and Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R). Newly crowned 2020 World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) made an outstanding comeback, gaining no less than ten positions to move in behind Michael van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1), and rookie Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), from the last spot on the grid to eighth place. In the final laps, an intense battle raged between Davies and van der Mark for a podium finish, but it was the Dutchman who came out on top over the Ducati rider to finish third behind Gerloff and Razgatlioglu, who won his second consecutive race in the WorldSBK class.

Tissot Superpole Race Standings:

1. T. Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
2. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
3. M. van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
4. C. Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
5. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
6. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
7. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
8. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
9. M. R. Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
10. X. Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
11. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMWS1000 RR)
12. F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
13. J. Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing / Yamaha YZF R1)
14. L. Mercado (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
15. M. Ferrari (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
16. E. Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
17. T. Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
18. E. Granado (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR-R)
19. S. Morais (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
20. L. Cresson (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

• RT. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
• RT. L. Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)

WorldSBK Race 2:

Race 2 started immediately after a special tribute by Yamaha to Fabrizio Pirovano, who achieved his tenth and final victory right here twenty-seven years ago in the World Superbike Championship. The parade lap was done by Alex Gramigni astride a Yamaha R1 “Piro Replica” which will be put up for auction online with the proceeds going to the Fondazione Oncologia Niguarda Onlus (Non-profit Niguarda Oncology Foundation).       

At the race start, Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1) got off the grid extremely well, moving into the lead and trying to pull the pin straight away, but his attempts were thwarted by Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) who, after starting from the fourth spot on the grid, overtook him on the third lap. Following in third place was Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1), but on the seventh lap, his race ended prematurely when he crashed out. In the meantime, both Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) moved up two positions each, respectively to third and fourth place, until the Reigning World Champion attempted to overtake Toprak Razgatlioglu on the ninth lap, but instead made contact with his rear tyre and crashed, then re-joining the race in sixteenth place. In the meantime, Chaz Davies continued to lead the race, steadily increasing his advantage ahead of the Turkish Yamaha rider and rookie Scott Redding, now in third position. In the final laps, decisive in determining the Manufacturers title, Redding managed to overtake Toprak making the race a Ducati one-two, with Chaz Davies finishing first for a brilliant conclusion to his last season on the ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati factory team.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

1. C. Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
2. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
3. T. Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
4. M. van der Mark (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
5. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
6. M. R. Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
7. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000RR)
8. X. Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
9. F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
10. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMWS1000 RR)
11. J. Folger (Bonovo Action by MGM Racing / Yamaha YZF R1)
12. E. Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW S1000 RR)
13. L. Mercado (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
14. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
15. M. Ferrari (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
16. E. Granado (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR-R)
17. T. Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000RR)
18. S. Morais (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
19. L. Cresson (OUTDO Kawasaki TPR / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

• RT. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
• RT. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
• RT. L. Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R1)

WorldSSP Race 2:

Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R) started extremely well and moved into the race lead ahead of Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R), Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675) and reigning World Champion Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team / Yamaha YZF R6), all three within less than a second of one another. However, it was Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) who did the fastest lap of the race and caught up with the leading group, giving us a thrilling battle for first between the two Kawasakis and de Rosa’s MV Agusta with constant overtaking and contact between the three riders. In the second half of the race, Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing / Yamaha YZF R6), who had started from the ninth spot on the grid, moved up several positions thanks to an outstanding pace, catching up with the leading trio four laps from the end of the race, still led by Raffaele de Rosa. But the final laps continued to provide surprises. On the penultimate lap, Mahias got the better of the group to move into the race lead, finishing first. The Italian MV Agusta rider finished third, threatened several times by compatriot and reigning champion Locatelli, who overtook him on the final stretch for second place.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:

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

• RT. G. Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• RT. P. Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth / Yamaha YZF R6)
• RT. H. Okubo (Dynavolt Honda / Honda CBR600RR)

WorldSSP300 Race 2:

The final race of the year of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship was won by Dutch rider Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT / Kawasaki Ninja 400), who finished first ahead of French rider Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo / Kawasaki Ninja 400), second, and Spaniard Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300 / Kawasaki Ninja 400), third.

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

In the Tissot Superpole Race, most of the grid used the standard soft SC1 solution (option B) on the front, whereas seven riders preferred racing on the Y1231 development solution (option A): Toprak Razgatlioglu, Chaz Davies, Michael van der Mark, Alex Lowes, Tom Sykes, Federico Caricasulo, and Eugene Laverty. For the rear, on the other hand, the choice was unanimous for the standard soft SC0 solution (option B).

In WorldSSP Race 2, rider choice was practically unanimous. On the rear, almost all the riders opted for the standard SC0 (option A), except for Alejandro Ruiz Carranza, Andy Verdoïa and Galang Hendra Pratama, whereas on the front, no fewer than twenty-three out of the twenty-five riders on the grid raced on the standard SC1 (option A), with only Steven Odendaal and Hikari Okubo making a different choice.

As for the rear tyre in WorldSBK Race 2, all the riders confirmed their choices from Race 1: the soft standard SC0 (option B) was selected by the entire grid, with the exception of Loris Baz. For the front, on the other hand, sixteen of the riders used the soft standard SC1 (option A), whereas six riders preferred the Y1231 SC1 development solution (option A): Toprak Razgatlioglu, Michael van der Mark, Chaz Davies, Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes and Tom Sykes.

Pirelli statistics for the Tissot Superpole Race:

• Best Lap done by: Toprak Razgatlioglu (PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team / Yamaha YZF R1) in 1’36.594on the 5th lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (15 out of 22 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (22 out of 22 riders)

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 7 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 68, including 32 front and 36 rear

• Air temperature: 19° C

• Asphalt temperature: 23° 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 1’36.806 on the 11th lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (16 out of 22 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (21 out of 22 riders)

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 7 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 68, including 32 front and 36 rear

• Air temperature: 22° C

• Asphalt temperature: 35° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6) in 1'40.171 on the 4th lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (23 out of 25 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (22 out of 25 riders)

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Supersport class: 4 front and 5 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 50, including 26 front and 24 rear

• Air temperature: 21° C

• Asphalt temperature: 30° C