Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website WorldSBK Race 2 at Laguna Seca: victory and record race lap for Jonathan Rea, the Pirelli development solutions improve race lap time by more than half a second compared with last year
july 10, 2017 - Pirelli

WorldSBK Race 2 at Laguna Seca: victory and record race lap for Jonathan Rea, the Pirelli development solutions improve race lap time by more than half a second compared with last year

The Championship leader is back on the top step of the podium on his Kawasaki ahead of teammate Tom Sykes and the Ducatis of Chaz Davies, Race 1 winner, and Marco Melandri. The Pirelli weekend on the Californian track will continue through tomorrow with Pirelli SBK® Track Days

Salinas (USA), 9 July 2017 – At the Californian Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca track, Race 2 of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship just ended with a win by Kawasaki rider Jonathan Rea.
After Ducati rider Chaz Davies' success in Race 1, today the defending World Champion and current leader in the overall standings was back on the top step of the podium, finishing ahead of teammate Tom Sykes and the Ducatis of Chaz Davies, Marco Melandri and Xavi Forés.
 
The new development solutions that Pirelli brought to Laguna Seca demonstrated outstanding performance, allowing Jonathan Rea to set the new track race lap record with a time of 1’23.275 but even more impressive was the fifteen-second improvement on overall race time with an average lap time improvement of more than half a second.
 
At the start of Race 2, Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) got off the line well, but a few turns later it was Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) who moved up to take the lead. At the end of the first lap, the Ducati riding Italian was also overtaken by reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) who moved into second place behind his teammate. On the second lap, Melandri appeared to be in difficulty, slipping back to ninth place and temporarily relinquishing third place to Xavi Forés (BARNI Racing Team) while Jonathan Rea set the new track record at 1’23.275, improving on Davide Giugliano's time set in 2014 by a full tenth of a second.During the third lap, the Northern Irishman overtook his teammate for the race lead, where he would stay through the finish.
The Kawasaki duo pulled away from the rest of the group, creating a two-second gap ahead of the Ducatis ridden by Forés (third) and Chaz Davies (fourth). In the meantime, Raffaele De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) crashed out to end his race early.
On the eighth lap, the Ducati riding Welshman managed to move into third place, while Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) and Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) were forced to throw in the towel, the former due to a crash and the latter because of a technical problem.
Just after the mid-race point, Melandri managed to manoeuvre his factory Ducati ahead of Xavi Forés, falling in behind his teammate in fourth position.
The final part of the race held no spectacular passes among the riders in the top spots. Jonathan Rea therefore finished first with a four-second advantage ahead of his teammate, Tom Sykes. Race 1 winner, Chaz Davies, finished on the bottom step of the podium ahead of Melandri and Forés on their respective Ducatis. Eugene Laverty rode his Aprilia to an outstanding sixth place finish.
 
WorldSBK Race 2 standings:
 
1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
2) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)
3) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
4) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
5) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team)      
6) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)
7) L. Mercado (IODARacing)
8) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)
9) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
10) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
11) S. Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
12) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven)
13) A. De Angelis (Pedercini Racing SC-Project)
14) R. Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
15) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
16) J. Smrz (Guandalini Racing)
17) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team)
RT) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team)
RT) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
RT) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team)
RT) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team)
 
 
The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 2:
 
Compared with Race 1, temperatures on Sunday were lower, with the asphalt just over 50°C.
On the front the V0952 SC1 development solution (option B) was confirmed, earning the favour of no less than eighteen of the twenty-one riders on the grid. The remaining riders used the standard SC1 (option A).
As for the rear, the W0576 development solution (option B) gained even more preference than it had in Race 1 and was used by almost all the riders on the front rows. Only six riders preferred the W0575 solution (option A).
 
 
Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:
 
• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1’23.275 at the 2nd lap
 
• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (18 out of 21 riders)
 
• Most used rear solution: development SC0 W0576 (15 out of 21 riders)
 
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 259.5 km/h, achieved by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) in the 3rd lap
 
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 5 rear
 
Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 63, including 35 front and 28 rear
 
• Air temperature: 21° C
 
• Asphalt temperature: 52° C

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