Indonesia WSBK

Leon Haslam to miss Indonesia finale due to shoulder injury

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Leon Haslam has been forced to miss the remainder of this weekend’s Indonesia WorldSBK, his last race weekend as a world championship rider due to a shoulder injury. The 2018 BSB champion had been dealing with the injury over the last few rounds which led to surgery following last month’s San Juan round. This all comes after a very strong opening day for Haslam and Honda as he finished sixth overall in Mandalika, while team-mate Alvaro Bautista was two places higher in P4. Despite being just three tenths off championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu who dominated proceedings, the team cited a lack of strength and pain as the major reasons why Haslam will miss the final two days. Haslam himself called Friday’s running the best of the year aboard the CBR1000RR-R despite the injury, a situation he called ‘a big disappointment’. “It’s a big disappointment to not be able to race here this weekend. This circuit has been fantastic, especially for the Honda and I was up inside the top six after FP2 despite my injury,” added Haslam. “We were only 0.3 of a second from the fastest so, of all this year’s rounds and even in my current condition, this was probably the best Friday we’ve had, so being unable to race is very disappointing. “I really wanted to round out the season and my time with the team on a positive note, but the guys have been amazing and very supportive of my shoulder injury. “I simply didn’t expect to be in this much pain and that, combined with a lack of strength, means we cannot race this weekend, but I really want to thank Honda, HRC and the entire team because everyone’s been fantastic all season long.”

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Indonesia WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu takes pole as Rea locks out the front row – Qualifying results

Kevin Peterson07 mins

Toprak Razgatlioglu was right at the front on his first flying lap, whilst Championship rival Jonathan Rea took second place after his first attempt. Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was third whilst Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) was up in fourth ahead of Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing). The first run saw most riders head out on the Q tyre, eager to get a banker lap in with the spots of rain in the air. Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) were notable outliers as they used the SCX tyre but were both inside the top ten after their initial efforts. With just over six minutes to go, everyone headed back out to try and go for a quick lap time, with Jonathan Rea leading the field around the 4.3km Pertamina Mandalika Circuit. The reigning six-time World Champion meant business as he put in a storming lap of a 1’33.201, the fastest lap we’d seen of the weekend. Scott Redding was next up, he took second provisionally but all eyes were on Razgatlioglu once again, with the Turkish rider storming to pole, with a 1’32.877 seeing him become the first and only rider to get into the 1’32 bracket. With Andrea Dosoli and Kenan Sofuoglu watching on and applauding accordingly, Razgatlioglu took pole ahead of Rea and Redding. The same three it has been all year at the forefront of the grid. Having been third all the way through Free Practice, Garrett Gerloff took fourth, his joint-best Superpole result of 2021 as he looks revitalised and rejuvenated ahead of racing action in Indonesia, coming at the right time as he is in the battle for Best Independent. Fifth place honours went to Andrea Locatelli, with three Yamahas inside the top five. Locatelli has steadily improved over the course of the Pirelli Indonesian Round weekend and, along with Gerloff, will hope to see if they can help Razgatlioglu out in the title battle, should he need it. Completing the second row with a last lap pushing him up the order, Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) returned with a bang. Heading up the third row, revelation Axel Bassani will look to get in the fight for Best Independent with Gerloff, as well as support the likes of Scott Redding in Ducati’s quest for the Manufacturers’ Championship. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) was eighth, his joint-best Superpole result of the season as he looks to close the Honda WorldSBK chapter of his career on a high. Ninth place went to Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), with both the BMWs inside the top ten. It was an impressive showing from Leandro Mercado, who consolidated his pace from the last few rounds by taking a season-best Superpole result of tenth, his first top ten on the grid after Superpole since Magny-Cours 2017, when he was second. In his final round as a rider, Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) was 11th, ahead of an impressive showing from Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha), who took a career-best Superpole result of 12th. Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was 13th as he continued to show his potential, whilst it was a Superpole session to forget for Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with the Italian, who is fourth in the Championship and just eight points ahead of rookie rival Andrea Locatelli, finishing 14th after setting just two laps, the fewest of anyone. There’ll be plenty of work to do from there. Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) was 15th, ahead of Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Oliver König (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing). Leon Haslam (Team HRC) was declared unfit after a right shoulder functional impairment halted his weekend, whilst Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) suffered a crash in FP3 and was ruled out with a right acromioclavicular separation. WORLD SUPERBIKE MANDALIKA, INDONESIA – SUPERPOLE QUALIFYING RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME 1 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha 1:32.877s 2 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +0.324s 3 Scott Redding GBR Aruba.It Ducati +0.379s 4 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha +0.688s 5 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha +0.711s 6 Tom Sykes GBR Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +0.795s 7 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +0.898s 8 Alvaro Bautista SPA Team HRC +1.174s 9 Michael Van Der Mark NED Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +1.203s 10 Leandro Mercado ARG MIE Honda Racing +1.277s 11 Chaz Davies GBR GoEleven Ducati +1.550s 12 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Yamaha +1.554s 13 Isaac Vinales SPA Orelac Racing Kawasaki +1.561s 14 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Ducati +1.622s 15 Samuele Cavalieri SPA Barni Ducati +1.700s 16 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +1.783s 17 Tito Rabat ITA Kawasaki Puccetti +2.381s 18 Oliver Konig CZE Pedercini Kawasaki +2.987s

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Indonesia WSBK: Razgatlioglu maintains good form as he dominates FP2

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Toprak Razgatlioglu maintains his FP1 advantage to finish two tenths clear of title rival Jonathan Rea in World Superbike FP2 at Mandalika. Despite being 1.5 seconds down on Razgatlioglu’s overall best time from FP1, Alex Lowes quickly improved to go within two tenths of the Yamaha rider’s 1:34.985s. Jonathan Rea, who lost considerable track time in FP1 due to a technical issue, then went quickest for this session, second overall. Lowes then crashed at turn two – the same spot as replacement rider for Loris Cresson, Oliver Konig did this morning. While that was happening, Razgatlioglu went +0.003s down on Rea’s best FP2 time. After following each other for a couple of laps, Razgatlioglu dropped back from Rea to then start another push lap, a lap that saw him go fastest, although not quite enough to beat his own time from earlier on. However, Razgatlioglu did eventually go on to better his fastest lap of the day on his very next lap. A time of 1:34.815s put him -0.199s clear of Scott Redding who was just the second rider at this stage to set a sub 1m 35s lap. After a brief return to pit lane, Razgatlioglu re-joined the track with team-mate Andrea Locatelli in close proximity. The Turkish rider went another fourth tenths faster which helped the Italian move up to second – six tenths behind the series leader.  Rea managed to split the two Pata Yamaha riders as he went just under two tenths down on Razgatlioglu, but this time it was sector one not four where the Kawasaki rider struggled to match Razgatlioglu. Impressive efforts from Garrett Gerloff and Leon Haslam saw both riders jump up to third and fourth during the final five minutes. Haslam’s team-mate Alvaro Bautista then pipped the British rider to fourth place courtesy of a lap that was a tenth quicker.  WORLD SUPERBIKE MANDALIKA, INDONESIA – FREE PRACTICE RESULTS (2) POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME 1 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha 1:34.230s 2 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +0.174s 3 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha +0.225s 4 Alvaro Bautista SPA Team HRC +0.230s 5 Scott Redding GBR Aruba.It Ducati +0.349s 6 Leon Haslam GBR Team HRC +0.371s 7 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +0.528s 8 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha +0.647s 9 Michael Van Der Mark NED Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +0.708s 10 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +0.724s 11 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Ducati +0.727s 12 Isaac Vinales SPA Orelac Racing Kawasaki +0.742s 13 Tom Sykes GBR Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +1.181s 14 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +1.186s 15 Chaz Davies GBR GoEleven Ducati +1.206s 16 Leandro Mercado ARG MIE Honda Racing +1.361s 17 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Yamaha +1.407s 18 Tito Rabat ITA Kawasaki Puccetti +1.620s 19 Samuele Cavalieri SPA Barni Ducati +1.706s 20 Oliver Konig CZE Pedercini Kawasaki +4.692s Free Practice One

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Razgatlioglu fastest in the morning session of Indonesia WorldSBK finale

Kevin Peterson04 mins

World Superbike championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu dominated the opening free practice at Mandalika, while Jonathan Rea was only 11th fastest after being limited for track time. Reigning six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a nightmare, as his team worked on his bike for most of the session, meaning he only completed one full stint and ending the session down in 11th. Razgatlioglu was one of the first out on track and he took to the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit like a duck to water, with the opposition barely seeing which way he went. Razgatlioglu got three stints under his belt and set a sensational time of 1’34.985, some 1.5s quicker than Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in second. Lowes was in good form as he returned to action and was just marginally ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). The American came good at the end of the session and will aim to help Toprak if necessary, this weekend. Fourth place went to Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as he got dialled in at the new venue, hoping to get on terms with Toprak as he looks to lead Ducati to a manufacturers’ title. Completing the top five was the surprise of the morning Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), with the Spaniard looking good on his ZX-10RR and building on the flashes of brilliance he’s shown in recent rounds. An eager Razgatlioglu made his way past Leon Haslam during the early stages as he set about learning the new Mandalika track. Razgatlioglu’s first few laps saw him continuously lead Rea by over a second, while Isaac Vinales enjoyed an early run inside the top three. Sectors three and four seemed to be where Razgatlioglu was making up most of his time on Rea and indeed the rest of the field during the first part of FP1. WORLD SUPERBIKE MANDALIKA, INDONESIA – FREE PRACTICE RESULTS (1) POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME 1 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha 1:34.985s 2 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +1.544s 3 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha +1.600s 4 Scott Redding GBR Aruba.It Ducati +1.835s 5 Isaac Vinales SPA Orelac Racing Kawasaki +2.094s 6 Alvaro Bautista SPA Team HRC +2.099s 7 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +2.118s 8 Michael Van Der Mark NED Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +2.155s 9 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Ducati +2.195s 10 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha +2.305s 11 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +2.401s 12 Leon Haslam GBR Team HRC +2.438s 13 Chaz Davies GBR GoEleven Ducati +2.496s 14 Tito Rabat ITA Kawasaki Puccetti +2.797s 15 Samuele Cavalieri SPA Barni Ducati +2.832s 16 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Yamaha +2.899s 17 Tom Sykes GBR Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +3.082s 18 Leandro Mercado ARG MIE Honda Racing +3.435s 19 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +4.096s 20 Oliver Konig CZE Pedercini Kawasaki +8.235s

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Razgatlioglu and Rea ready for the final title fight in Indonesia

Kevin Peterson07 mins

12 Rounds and 35 races later, 30 points separate the top two in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock as Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) heads Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) heading into the season-ending Pirelli Indonesian Round. The title will be decided at the all-new Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit, providing another challenge on top of the title battle. Both Razgatlioglu and Rea have claimed 28 podiums in the 2021 campaign with the Turkish rider on 13 wins compared to Rea’s 11. Both have also had three retirements from races in a remarkably even season, with the title on the line at the season-ending Indonesian Round; Razgatlioglu hoping to end Rea’s run of consecutive titles while the Northern Irishman will hope to turn around a 30-point deficit to make it seven in a row. Razgatlioglu leads the Championship heading into the final round of the campaign, but throughout 2021 has been adamant that his approach is looking for race wins and not looking at the Championship standings. Discussing his approach to racing in Indonesia, Razgatlioglu continued this theme. He said: “Everybody asks the same question. My plan was just to focus on the race because I try to fight for the win again. This is more important for me. I’m very close to being Champion but I will try my best; maybe I’m in second position, maybe third, maybe I win. We will see. I just try again for the win. This is my style, but everybody says, ‘you don’t need first position’, but this is important because I like this style. Because this is the last round, everybody will try their best.” The 30-point margin is one that has been almost closed up throughout one weekend numerous times in 2021 with technical issues or crashes restricting the points-scoring haul at times. Explaining how he relishes the underdog tag and his approach to the weekend, Rea said: “We’ve, both of us, have thrown away more than that kind of points in one weekend so I can focus on myself. It’s not the best position, a real underdog position, but one that I relish.” “Just focus on myself. No matter what happens from a Championship point of view, I’m trying to put that to the back of my head and go out and finish the year strongly with race results. I want to go home on the plane on Sunday night and feel like I’ve done a great job here. Then, of course, the year will look after itself.” In the last six years, Rea has come into the final round either with the Championship wrapped up or leading the standings. Talking about the difference in 2021, Rea said: “The last years have been incredible to really enjoy the last round. This one’s a little bit different but similar as well because I don’t feel the same pressure I would have normally to get a job done.” “I feel we’ve perhaps lost the Championship in some ways this year so to be in the fight is a great position. I’ve got a lot of motivation, try to keep the dream alive until the last race and what better place to come!” Razgatlioglu also gave his thoughts on what it would mean if he was crowned World Champion and the Indonesian Round as a whole. He said: “It’s very important for me and the team. I like this track and it’s my first time in Indonesia….I’m not feeling stressed, I like it here.” “Today I walked the track, and everything is good. We are ready and this race is very important for me. I hope we are Champion this weekend; this is very important for me. I am waiting to say, ‘this is for my dad’, and this is very important for me. This is my dream. I know my father has always worked for me, he believed in me always. He said ‘Toprak will be World Champion’, but it wasn’t possible for him to see this. This is very important for me.”

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Tom Sykes to make a WSBK return with BMW in Indonesia finale

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Tom Sykes will make his WorldSBK return at this weekend’s season finale in Indonesia after missing the last nine races due to concussion. Tom Sykes has confirmed his return from concussion for this weekend’s final WorldSBK round of 2021 ahead of a likely switch to BSB in 2022. Sykes sustained concussion during a Superpole race accident involving team-mate Michael Van Der Mark which cost him to miss rounds in Jerez, Portimao and San Juan. The 2013 world champion was then replaced by fellow BMW rider Eugene Laverty who will ride full-time for Bonovo BMW next year. With his future very much up in the air and every WorldSBK factory seat filled for next year, Sykes is hoping for a good showing in what’s likely to be his swansong outing in the world championship. Sykes said: “I’m very much looking forward to getting back on my BMW M 1000 RR. It has been a long time since I last raced and obviously we have a little bit of work to do to catch up. “But having said that, I have to say that the excitement of going to a totally new venue is quite something, not only because Indonesia is a great part of the world. “Everybody looks to be doing an incredible job on the new circuit of Mandalika. What a unique venue – to say the least. “On top of that, it is located on a beautiful island so I am really looking forward to it. It is new for everybody and I have to say that it is going to be a little bit of a way to finish the season, but that’s another story. “In general, it’s a great place to finish the season, and hopefully we can finish it with some strong results to end 2021.” For team-mate Van Der Mark, the Dutchman is in a rich vein of form after taking a wet Superpole race win in Portimao, before claiming three top six finishes last time out in San Juan. Van Der Mark, who will be joined by Scott Redding at BMW after this weekend, is expecting a ‘great weekend’ aboard the M 1000 RR machine. “It’s fantastic to go to Indonesia. It’s nice to have a new circuit on the calendar, especially in Asia. I love to go there. It’s also incredible that it’s the last round of the season already,” added the former Yamaha rider. “I cannot wait to try the Mandalika circuit because it looks really nice from what I have seen. “Getting to know a new track is not too difficult; it comes with doing the laps. I think that it will be a great season finale.”

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