WorldSSP
Andrea Locatelli (Bardahl Evan
Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) has
been impressive from the start of
his first WorldSSP season, but
five in a row was history in the
making in Portugal.
The first 17-lap WorldSSP race
was delayed an hour until the
medical helicopter came back to
the circuit, but when it got going
the race was laden with some
early surprises. First, Corentin
Perolari (GMT94 Yamaha) and
his teammate Cluzel beat up
Locatelli, the clear championship
leader so far. Then it came down
to Cluzel to take up the cudgels
on his own.
The 55 Yamaha broke free
anyway, but as Cluzel gathered
pace to mount another challenge
he fell, with a handful of laps left,
and remounted to finish sixth.
Well behind Locatelli, sec-
ond place was taken by former
champion Lucas Mahias (Ka-
wasaki Puccetti Racing) who
had been fighting the changed
wind direction and a less-than-
aerodynamic bike and rider
package. Third was Raffaele De
Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
who along with Perolari hijacked
the seemingly sure third-place
rider Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing
Yamaha), who went from third to
fifth over the line.
As Cluzel went sixth, Philipp
Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Rac-
ing) limped home seventh. In
the second race Mahias did not
make two corners, just touching
the inside rumble strip and fall-
ing fast. He got going again but
would retire.
In race two, there was some
more messing with Locatelli until
he got his golden hammer down
and left Cluzel second.
Behind the big two, Isaac
Vinales would get revenge for
Saturday's late slipstream-n'-grab,
and he finished a lone third.
In the championship, Locatelli
is a perfect 125, Cluzel has 90,
Mahias 62.
Gordon Ritchie
WorldSBK
Race 1
1. Jonathan Rea (Kaw)
2. Toprak Razagtlioglu (Yam)
3. Michael van der Mark (Yam)
4. Alex Lowes (Kaw)
5. Michael Rinaldi (Duc)
Superpole
1. Jonathan Rea (Kaw)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yam)
3. Alex Lowes (Kaw)
4. Tom Sykes (BMW)
5. Michael van der Mark (Yam)
Race 2
1. Jonathan Rea (Kaw)
2. Scott Redding (Duc)
3. Mark van der Mark (Yam)
4. Chaz Davies (Duc)
5. Alvaro Bautista (Hon)
IN
THE
WIND
P36
Andrea Locatelli won again in WorldSSP.
