Dosoli Debrief: 400 Podiums Achieved During Positive Weekend in Barcelona
Dosoli Debrief: 400 Podiums Achieved During Positive Weekend in Barcelona
The fourth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship saw Yamaha clock the impressive milestone of 400 Superbike podiums, thanks to the four rostrum finishes achieved by Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (three second places) and Andrea Locatelli (one third place). In addition to this, Mirko Gennai took his first victory of the season in WorldSSP 300 and Stefano Manzi closed the gap in the title chase with another podium finish.
Toprak Takes Second Three Times
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu had another extremely solid race weekend, despite the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya being one he traditionally finds tough. An excellent second place in Race 1 was followed by another important runner-up spot in the Tissot Superpole Race, and an incredible last-lap fight from the Turkish rider saw him snatch another second place on the final corner of Race 2.
A.D: “Toprak once again confirmed his talent with three outstanding performances, achieving the best possible result when acknowledging the performance of the Bautista/Ducati pairing on this track. He and his crew have been working very well during the practices in order to prepare for the races, even if this meant that the performance in Superpole was a bit below the usual. Starting from the third row didn’t compromise his races, thanks to good starts and good race settings. He managed to keep a consistent pace allowing him to score 49 points, and the fantastic overtakes during the last lap of both races were the standout of his race weekend.”
Loka Shows His Tenacity
Andrea Locatelli took a fifth podium of the season during the Tissot Superpole race on Sunday. The Italian showed the impressive calm yet combative spirit which he’s increasingly becoming known for. Refusing to give up, ‘Loka’ pushed through to third despite the tricky weather conditions. He also achieved a solid fourth place in Race 1, but struggled to find the feeling in Race 2 where he finished seventh.
A.D: “It was another positive weekend for Loka, taking a great podium in the Superpole Race with very difficult track conditions, and tight fight with a large group of riders. He clearly showed not only his speed but also his character, we’re really pleased. He also put in a good performance in both long races, especially on Saturday.”
Mixed Fortunes for Aegerter & Gardner
The GRT GYTR Yamaha WSBK Team had an up and down weekend, with Dominique Aegerter taking an outstanding second place in qualifying on Saturday and backing it up with fifth, sixth, and eighth in the three races. On the other side of the garage, it was a tricky weekend for Remy Gardner; he took a decent 10th in Race 1 despite receiving a heavy hit from another rider, but a technical issue ruled him out of the Superpole Race. He and the team recovered to 13th in Race 2, but it was a disappointing weekend for the Australian who lives in nearby Andorra.
A.D: “Dominique got another front row and he managed great performances in all three races, confirming the consistent improvement of his feeling with the R1 and the SBK class. His skill and experience help in managing the tyre wear, a key factor in Barcelona. Well done to him and his crew. On the other side, on a track which is like a second home race, Remy expected a better result, but things didn’t go as planned and he left Catalunya very disappointed. He was unlucky in Race 1 when he was hit by another rider and forced to race with a heavily damaged exhaust system, and then had to pit in during the Superpole Race with a minor mechanical issue. A weekend to forget, but Remy is ready to reset and we’re all confident of his talent.”
Ray Scores First Points, Baldassarri Searches for Confidence
Bradley Ray scored points in all three races in Barcelona despite it being only his second race weekend of the season, the Yamaha Moto X Racing rider achieved 12th in Race 1, 14th in the Superpole Race, and 15th in Race 2. Meanwhile, GMT 94’s Lorenzo Baldassarri struggled to find his confidence with the Catalan track on his R1.
A.D: “In only his second outing in WSBK, Bradley managed to score his first points and improve his feeling on the R1. His progress is clear to see and the results might have been even better if he had been luckier in qualifying where he had a small technical issue and got caught out by the red flag. It wasn’t the best race weekend for Lorenzo, despite a lot of effort from him and his team he wasn’t able to find the necessary confidence.”
WorldSSP 600 – Manzi Battles to Another Podium
After finishing sixth on Saturday, Stefano Manzi put up a ferocious fight to achieve another superb podium on Sunday in Barcelona, the battle saw him cross the line second but he was later demoted a position for exceeding track limits. However, the podium result and points edge the Italian closer to the championship lead, and he showed incredible strength on his R6 to overcome the on-from MV Agusta riders. Australia’s Tom Edwards had an impressive weekend, qualifying in fourth and taking 11th in Race 2. Valentin Debise, Glenn van Straalen, Nicholas Spinelli and Jorge Navarro all put their Yamahas well within the Top 10 on both days.
A.D: “In general, it was a positive weekend for our Supersport riders, with Manzi able to reduce the gap to the leader a bit despite the points lost due the FIM penalisation. He showed some very impressive and determined riding. There were great performances shown by Van Straalen, Debise, Navarro and Spinelli too.”
WorldSSP 300 – Gennai Thrills with Top Step Return
Italy’s Mirko Gennai enjoyed a fantastic weekend with a third place on Saturday and a hard-fought victory on Sunday – his first of the season and the second of his career. The last lap and last corner duel saw Gennai emerge as the winner by just 0.027 seconds ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Matteo Vannucci (who took eighth in Race 1). Enzo Valentim took seventh and 11th over the course of the weekend, while his compatriot and fellow R3 rider Humberto Maier took fifth and eighth.
A.D: “It was nice to see our young riders confirming the good performances already achieved in Assen. Congratulations to Gennai for the Race 2 victory and the podium in Race 1, which allowed him to close the gap to the standings’ leader. There were great performances also from Vannucci and Maier, and I’d like to give a special mention to Valentim, the 2022 R3 bLU cRU European Cup winner, who is already able to fight in podium contention. This result once again highlights the value of the R3 bLU cRU European Championship, the only real entry level racing program for future champions.”
R3 bLU cRU Championship – Ercolani Makes a Break
The R3 bLU cRU European Championship riders provided more enthralling and exciting action at the Barcelona circuit. Just as in Race 1 at Assen, Italy’s Emiliano Ercolani once again managed to cleverly carve his way through the pack to the front in the first race of the weekend. In the second race it was Brazil’s Gustavo Manso who took an edge-of-the-seat win over Ercolani, also his second of the season. The other riders taking medals were Aldi Satya Mahendra and Dorian Joulin, second and third in Race 1, and Kevin Fontainha completed Sunday’s podium.
A.D: “We’ve had four races now, Ercolani has won two of them and Manso has won two of them, but that belies the excitement and openness of the championship. In every race there are more than ten riders at the front and capable of winning, and it’s great to see such talent emerging in our feeder class.”
