Lucas Mahias on Yamaha wins and is crowned FIM Supersport World Champion while Rea takes the last race of the WorldSBK season; positive season outcome for Pirelli

Jonathan Rea and Kenan Sofuoglu earn the Pirelli Best Lap Awards 2017 respectively in WorldSBK and WorldSSP for being the riders to have done the most fast laps during races this season

Doha (Qatar), 4 November 2017 –French rider Lucas Mahias astride Yamaha was crowned 2017 FIM Supersport World Champion after winning the race held today on the Losail International Circuit of Doha, Qatar.
In the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, after winning Race 1 yesterday, Jonathan Rea took a splendid double win for the Akashi-based manufacturer, finishing out a perfect season in the best possible way where, with two races left in the season, he was named FIM Superbike World Champion for the third year in a row.
 
This brings the thirtieth season of the FIM World Superbike Championship to an end under the starry skies of Qatar. Kawasaki won their third consecutive manufacturer title in the top class of the championship, Yamaha won the manufacturer title in the Supersport 600 and 300 World Championship and Ducati managed to take home the win in the FIM Superstock 1000 European Championship.
 
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) was the rider who took the most wins of the season and, with 14 race fast laps, he also won the Pirelli Best Lap Award 2017 for being the rider who did the most fast laps during races this season.
In WorldSSP an unlucky Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was unable to battle for the Championship Title due to various injuries at the start and end of the season, but in any case he was the rider who won the most races in his category and who did no less than 3 race fast laps, earning the Pirelli Best Lap Award 2017.
 
The final outcome for Pirelli was also positive this season, the fourteenth as Official Sole Tyre Supplier for all the classes in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship.
Throughout these years, Pirelli has constantly increased the performance level of their tyres, developing increasingly more innovative solutions in all the classes, both in terms of slicks and DOT grooved tyres.
In 2017, the Italian tyre manufacturer focused primarily on developing alternative solutions to the standard tyres as well as on consolidating the range of tyres dedicated to the new entry class, the Supersport 300 category, which provided thrills for all motorcycle racing fans this year and helped many talented young riders emerge on the international motorcycle racing scene.
 
In Race 2, Davide Giugliano (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was unable to participate due to physical problems. At the start, Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) got off pole position well, but before the end of the lap it was Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who had started from the eighth spot on the grid, who moved into the race lead.
Behind the Welshman at the start of the second lap was Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), overtaken shortly thereafter by teammate Jonathan Rea. A bit later, Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) fell victim to a bad accident which forced him to retire. On the following lap, the race lost another protagonist, English Kawasaki rider Tom Sykes who ended up in the gravel, while during the fourth lap, Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) was forced to retire due to a technical problem.
In the meantime, Jonathan Rea, who had started from the ninth spot on the grid, capitalised on a mistake by Chaz Davies to overtake him and move into the lead, while Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) moved into third position behind the Ducati rider.
At about mid-race, Alex Lowes got the better of his teammate Van Der Mark, snatching third place from him. The remainder of the race held no further surprises and Jonathan Rea's Kawasaki finished first ahead of Chaz Davies' Ducati and Alex Lowes' Yamaha.
 
WorldSBK Race 2 Standings:
 
1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)
2) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
3) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
4) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
5) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team)
6) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
7) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)
8) S. Guintoli (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
9) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
10) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven)
11) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team)   
12) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
13) A. Andreozzi (Guandalini Racing)
14) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team)
15) R. Rolfo (Grillini Racing Team)
16) J. Guarnoni (Pedercini Racing SC-Project)
RT) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)
RT) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)
RT) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team)
 
The FIM Supersport World Championship race started at 7:30 PM local time with fifteen laps to race and Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) on pole position.
At the start, Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing) got off the line well, overtaking both Lucas Mahias and Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda). Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), on the other hand, who had started from the fourth spot on the grid, slipped back to seventh.
During the first lap, an accident on turn 6 involved Bergman and Canducci, and in the meantime Mahias battled to regain the lead while the Turkish Kawasaki rider lost another two positions, settling into eighth place.
On the third lap, Mahias moved back into the top spot ahead of the other Yamaha riders, Tuuli and Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team). About a third of the way through the race, Tuuli dropped back, leaving second place to Caricasulo ahead of Jules Cluzel. In the meantime, Kenan Sofuoglu gave his all to move back up through the positions, reaching sixth and then fourth.
At the start of the ninth lap, the Honda riding Frenchman moved into second place overtaking Caricasulo and in the twelfth lap he took the race lead. However, on the following lap, the championship leader took back the position he had lost. In the finale it was a battle for first between the two Honda and Yamaha riding Frenchmen. In the end, it was Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) who gained the upper hand, despite the great efforts of Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) to take the lead from him. Mahias can therefore celebrate being crowned FIM Supersport World Champion Title with a win. Kenan Sofuoglu managed to finish on the podium in third place.
 
WorldSSP Standings:
 
1) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team)
2) J. Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda)
3) K. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
4) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team)
5) A. West (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
6) N. Tuuli (Kallio Racing)
7) S. Morais (Kallio Racing)
8) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing)
9) G. Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven)
10) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini)
11) L. Zanetti (Team Factory Vamag)
12) C. Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing)
13) A. Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25)
14) X. Cardelus (Race Department ATK#25)
15) S. Hill (Profile Racing)
16) C. Bergman (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda)
17) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
18) L. Epis (Response RE Racing)
19) Z. Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
RT) K. Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven)
RT) H. Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda)
RT) P. Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
RT) M. Al Naimi (QMMF Racing)
RT) G. Scarcella (GEMAR Team Lorin)
RT) S. Al Sulaiti (QMMF Racing)
RT) M. Canducci (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI)
 
 
The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP:
 
In Race 2 of WorldSBK, the riders substantially confirmed the choices they had made yesterday for Race 1. The only two changes were made by Tom Sykes and Michael Van Der Mark who switched to solution B on the front. As for the rear, all the riders used the W0575 SC0 development tyre (option A), whereas the V0952 SC1 development solution (option B) remained the most popular choice for the front. 
 
In the WorldSSP race as well, almost all the riders used the soft solution on the rear, the standard SC0 (option A), whereas on the front, riders preference was divided almost equally between the standard SC1 (option A) and the V0533 SC1 development solution (option C).
 
 
Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:
 
• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'57.061 at the 2^nd lap
 
• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (13 out of 19 riders)
 
• Most used rear solution: development SC0 W0575 (19 out of 19 riders)
 
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 320.5 km/h, achieved by Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) in the 4^th lap and by Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) in the 13^th lap
 
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 5 front and 5 rear
 
• Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 62, including 34 front and 28 rear
 
• Air temperature: 29° C
 
• Asphalt temperature: 30° C
 
 
Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:
 
• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 2'01.832 in the 12^th lap
 
• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0533 (12 out of 26 riders)
 
• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (25 out of 26 riders)
 
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 281.3 km/h, achieved by Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) in the 3^rd lap
 
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear
 
Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 46, including 25 front and 21 rear
 
• Air temperature: 29° C
 
• Asphalt temperature: 31° C