Alongside a satisfactory weekend at Le Mans with second place in the 24 Hours alongsideErwan Nigon, David Checa and Jeremy Guarnoni, the Kawasaki Racing team achieved two victories in Aragón with Johnny Rea in the Superbike World Championship. In this category, the five-time World Champion also took the third step of the podium during Race 1.
In Supersport, Philipp Öttl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished third in Race 1. Then the two riders from Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Lucas Mahias and Philipp Öttl were watching the podium closely, from fourth and fifth positions in Race 2.
In SSP300, the Kawasaki Ninja 400 occupied the three steps of the podium in Race 1 with victory for Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki Motoport) ahead of Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) and Mika Perez (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300). In Race 2, Buis preceded Thomas Brianti (Prodina Ircos Team WorldSSP300) and Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki Motoport). Kawa occupied the first three places in the provisional ranking of the World Championship with Jeffrey Buis and his 86 points, Ana Carrasco and his 84, ahead of Scott Deroue and his 83.
In World Supersport, Lucas Mahias occupied third position with 86 points ahead of his teammate Philipp Öttl with 76, behind Andrea Locatelli (175) and Jules Cluzel (130). And of course in Superbike Jonathan Rea dominated the debate with 189 points.
According to Jonathan Rhea this Sunday, “I'm really happy because I was hoping to be strong today, but not as strong as we were, he confided after the race. The pace surprised me, as well as the behavior of the bike. The biggest difference from Saturday is that we changed the front tire to the softer one. I felt like yesterday, in the warmer conditions, my choice gave me some stability, but I encountered grip issues. Today I had this to be more fluid with the bike. »
“Halfway through the race I knew I could try to manage, but I made a stupid mistake in the last corner. I got there too quickly, I went down two gears, when I should have gone down three. I entered the corner in fourth putting a lot of pressure on the front tire, without engine braking. This allowed Chaz to move into turn 1. I wanted to come back in the stretch and give everything, not make any mistakes, and we succeeded. »
According to Lucas Mahias, “In both races I pushed to the limit every lap but I think fourth place is the best we can do for sure. I had race pace to win but it was impossible to come back after the straights. I'm not happy with the race because you don't have the podium as a "gift" after a full weekend where you worked well with your team. »
“Normally, the podium can be a reward for all of us. I have the potential for the podium, the team has the potential, but at the moment some others are at another level. The positive point is that the chassis was perfect for this race this Sunday and I am very happy with it. »
At Le Mans, at the end of the 24 Hours, Bernard Lecour (alias Bernie) from the SRC team explained that: “We are still in the learning phase of Michelins and are getting to know them better, such as tire pressures, where we have a better grasp of our subject. Our roadmap is respected even if we had a small alert due to a rear wheel change. The change of calipers, on the other hand, was scheduled, the brake pads having to be changed. »
As the checkered flag drops, Jeremy Guarnoni, then on the handlebars savored this moment: “We weren't the strongest on paper but we managed to turn the tide. I take this result as a pleasant surprise. »
“We clearly lacked driving because even though the Michelins are very efficient, we had to start from scratch in terms of settings. A good part of the fine-tuning has been done but we still need to fine-tune to get back on the path to victory. »
“We didn't win this time, unlike last year, but for the whole team I consider it a victory. Now, the team is returning to the World Championship and that is the main thing. I warmly thank my riders, we are fast on the bike because we take great pleasure in riding together. I'm really looking forward to being in Estoril, Portugal next month! »
Photos © Kawasaki
