Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1400350
from misery and recriminations on Saturday to grinning winner again, and fiancée status, on Sunday. He proposed to his now fiancée Jacey on the top step of the winner's rostrum, live on TV. (She said yes.) The next round is another new track for WorldSBK, Navarra in Spain, between 2-22 August. WorldSSP In the WorldSSP Champion- ship, which is set to change shape next year and throw the doors open to big twins, slightly bigger triples and anything else that may meet the competitive criteria, the action is always fast furious, and usually conducted at the sharp end on Yamahas. A close Superpole qualify- ing still saw Manuel Gonzalez (ParkinGO Yamaha) score his first pole in the WorldSSP class, the former WorldSSP300 cham- pion leading a front row that contained Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Yamaha) and Philipp Ottl (Kawasaki Puccetti), on an increasingly rare sight of a green bike with Kawasaki written on the side. The first WorldSSP race was red flagged after just 12 laps with Steven Odendaal (Bardahl Evan Bros Yamaha) the winner, tak- ing his first victory since Estoril. Gonzalez passed early leader and perennial podium chaser Ottl at just the right moment to make sure he and not the Ger- man rider would take second. This was Gonzalez' first podium in WorldSSP, and he got another one in race two for third place. Ottl was a hard riding and active third in race one, on a Kawasaki that is just a little outclassed by the best Yamahas. Behind the podium riders Aegerter was fourth, limiting the damage to his shrinking champi- onship lead ahead of race two. Aegerter duly stuck on an SCX rear tire on Sunday then rode his way to a full-distance front- running victory, although only just over one second ahead of the chasers at the end of 19 laps. Odendaal kept the champion- ship points damage to a minimum in second place, Gonzalez was third and Ottl just not able to stay in the fight for the podium, in fourth. Luca Bernardi was fifth in race two, and he is now fifth overall. Once again the luckless Jules Cluzel (GMT94) was taken out, in race two by a crashing rider, leav- ing him over 100 points behind the leader. The top MV Agusta rider, Niki Tuuli was eighth in race two. In the overall points, with five rounds finished, Aegerter's 207 to- tal is 37 ahead of Odendaal's 170. Ottl is third with 137 points. CN WORLDSBK Race One 1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yam) 2. Scott Redding (Duc) 3. Andrea Locatelli (Yam) 4. M. Ruben Rinaldi (Duc) 5. Axel Bassani (Duc) Superpole 1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yam) 2. Scott Redding (Duc) 3. Jonathan Rea (Kaw) 4. Andrea Locatelli (Yam) 5. Tom Sykes (BMW) Race Two 1. Scott Redding (Duc) 2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yam) 3. Jonathan Rea (Kaw) 4. Andrea Locatelli (Yam) 5. M. Ruben Rinaldi (Duc) IN THE WIND P40 Steven Odendaal (4) was back in the winner's circle for the first time since Estoril in race one. Dominique Aegerter took out race two.