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/839188
IN THE WIND P46 been unexpected, given Pirelli's good reputation for making safe tires, that still get development input to improve performance in stages. But there will be a lot of work to do in their labs to find out what went wrong this week- end after some previous issues for Rea at Donington. Race two proved to be a close enough affair for the top three—Melandri, Rea and Sykes—to be covered by just 1.285 seconds. Van der Mark was fully 13 seconds back from Melandri in race two. Behind the big fours in each race, Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Ducati) was fifth in race one and the frustrated Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)—making little progress through the season— was a season-best fifth in race two. Laverty had been sixth in race one with the ever-improving Randy Krummenacher making use of his privateer Puccetti racing Kawasaki's full abilities— and a few falls up ahead—for seventh. Top privateer Kawasaki was his race one status, repeat- ed for eighth in race two, albeit behind the second Milwaukee Aprilia of Lorenzo Savadori and the privateer Althea BMW of Raf- faele De Rosa. Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was, unusually, not one of the protagonists this weekend, after he fell in each race, only restarting the first to score an 11th place. WorldSSP It is a shame that the WorldSSP category will not race in Laguna Seca because American fans will be deprived of watching the statistically greatest rider of all time continue to be so, and extend all his record stats with every passing weekend. Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawa- saki Puccetti Racing) may have missed scoring in the first three rounds (two by injury and one by being knocked off) but he has been making up for it with four race wins in a row since then—at Assen, Imola, Donington and now Misano. He said at Donington that all the championship leader Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) had to do was not lose too much ground to him and the title would be for the French rider, but Mahias fell twice early in the Misano race, as Sofuoglu kept passing him and harrying his attempted passes. Taking the bait to race and not just follow, it appears, Mahias fell, regained the track, then fell of again to end his day pointless and distraught. A 30-point advantage is sud- denly down to five points go- ing into the summer break, as Sofuoglu toyed then with Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) and then stepped up to win by over two seconds. It was only a fight between two as the other GRT rider, Fed- erico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) was third, but five seconds back. Patrick Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was fourth after starting simply too far back in eighth place to go with the lead- ers, even if he matched their pace at one of his best tracks. Gordon Richie Kenan Sofuoglu came away with the Supersport victory.