WorldSBK Australia (2): Melandri doubles Rea … and the bet !
Race reduced by two laps, obligation to go through the pits to put on a new tire: the second round of the 2018 World Superbike at Phillip Island was complicated … except for Marco Melandri, who signed a magnificent double by beating the champion Rea on line !
In view of the tire issues faced by some WSBK riders yesterday – by Rea and Van der Mark in the first place – it was decided that the second round of Phillip Island will include a mandatory pitstop – at the end of laps 10, 11 or 12, be careful! – to change tires…
"Unfortunately we had some problems with the longevity of the tires," said Gregorio Lavilla, WorldSBK sporting director. "Following a meeting with the teams to discuss the different options, we decided that the best way to go was the ‘flag to flag‘ race, with which our rules are in line. We usually use them for climatic reasons, but now we’re going to use them for other reasons, unless it’s raining ".
The redistribution of the first nine places on the grid is respected to the letter: Marco Melandri, winner of the first round, is relegated to ninth position behind the drivers who accompanied him on the podium, namely Tom Sykes and Chaz Davies.
Fourth in the race yesterday, Xavi Fores places his private Ducati in pole position ahead of Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes. Leon Camier leads second, followed by Eugene Laverty and Michael van der Mark. Unfortunately injured and forfeited for this second race, Savadori won a place for our Loris Baz (13th)
Departure : Rea takes the lead at the end of the straight ahead of Fores. Very well started and very incisive, Laverty jumps from third to first place under very strong braking from the Honda hairpin. Aprilia rider n ° 50 escapes before the end of the 1st lap !
A second behind the Irish leader, the Welsh Davies and the Spaniard Fores annoy the northern Irishman Rea … But it is the Englishman Camier who hoists his Honda in second place at the very start of the second lap! A loop later, the game of aspirations makes Leon lose four places at once … It is believed to be witnessing a race of Supersport 300 !
Davies and Rea take the lead in an incredibly compact and dispersed field. The two very strong men in the championship inherited the lead when Laverty fell … The Top 14 was then held in three short seconds. Baz occupies tenth place.
Just behind the Davies, Fores and Rea trio, Van der Mark stood out by attacking Melandri in the rapid sequence at the start of the layout! Frustrated by his ninth place in the first heat, the # 60 Yamaha rider immediately steps into Rea’s rear wheel but opens the door for Marco at the exit of turn 10.
The peloton splits in two on the 6th lap: Razgatlioglu closes the first group in the company of Lowes, Sykes and Camier. Torres, Baz, Mercado and Ramos form a second group, far ahead of Jacobsen. Jack Gagne drops his Honda on lap 7 but goes on the attack.
Halfway through the race – and the pit stop! – approaching … Xavi Fores on his "independent" Panigale holds the reins but Chaz Davies with his factory Panigale remains on the lookout. Jonathan Rea, Michael van der Mark, Marco Melandri and Leon Camier also bury the hatchet…
Fores, Rea and Van der Mark – then Razgatlioglu – returned to the pits at the end of the 10th lap, leaving Davies a completely free track! The three men set off again, wheel to wheel. All other riders except Jacobsen and the wildcard Falzon complete their mandatory tire change on the following lap…
Once in the pits, Davies returns to the track in first place! But the "Unlucky" n ° 7 attacks too hard while passing in the bowl of turn n ° 10 and finishes its race in the gravel, with a broken half-handlebars … Fores finds itself first in front of the Kawasaki of Rea and Sykes, the Yamaha of Van der Mark and Lowes who supervise Melandri on his Ducati, and Camier on his Honda…
Five seconds behind the leading group, Torres and Baz are still fighting for eighth place. Razgatlioglu and Ramos play the Top 10 … Despite their fall, Gagne and Laverty continue to roll to register the last points of this second Australian round !
In front, Melandri manages to make his way to third place and eyeing Rea and Fores … This leading trio moves away from their four comrades who do not hesitate to elbow their way to stay in the game: Camier and his CBR in particular, take the best of the two R1s of Lowes and VDM…
Four laps from the end, Rea attacks Fores but the Spanish private recovers "his" first place by tackling the Honda hairpin … Melandri does not participate in the show: he must above all be wary of Sykes’ return … Rea dislocates Fores at the end of the straight line and lets his three rivals explain themselves.
Two laps later, however, Marco hoists his Ducati – still just as moving, even in a straight line! – in second position … The Italian rider attacks the northern Irishman during their penultimate passage in the straight line but the Ninja throws himself harder in "Doohan’s Corner" !
The "Number One" of the discipline takes care of his trajectories in the last lap, tries to close the doors in the face of the n ° 33 without losing too much speed … Patient, Melandri does not launch any attack and protects himself from Drilled posted in his backsplash.
Rea dives into the last curve of the circuit with a few steps ahead, but these decrease visibly as the finish line approaches! Perfectly out of turn 12 and taking advantage of the suction, Melandri overtakes his rival at the last moment…
The three-time world champion finally bowed for 21 thousandths of a second. Best private rider in the first round yesterday, Fores does it again today by gaining a place in the standings: Xavi thus completes the second Superbike podium 2018 at Phillip Island.
For the first time since his arrival at Kawasaki, the ruthless "JR" does not leave Australia – his adopted country – at the head of the championship: outclassed by the double winner Marco Melandri (50 points), Jonathan Rea is in more beaten by his own teammate Tom Sykes (31 Vs 33).
With 29 points on the clock, Xavi Fores is placed in ambush in front of Alex Lowes (21), Leon Camier (19) and Cahz Davies who has already toasted a wild card and is tied with Michael van den Mark (16 points each). Our Loris Bas settles in ninth place in the provisional classification with 12 points.
Result of the 2nd WSBK 2018 race at Phillip Island
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