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The official race report service of Kawasaki Racing Team.

8 Kesäkuu 2018

Opening Day 1-2 For KRT Riders

KRT WorldSBK riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes used their recent testing experiences at the Automotodrom Brno to help them achieve a 1-2 standing in the timesheets after the opening day of track action, with Rea fastest and Sykes just behind.

Three free practice sessions on Friday brought three different sets of track conditions, from a wet start in the morning to a warm and sunny finish. Each KRT rider felt that general track conditions were not as ideal as they had been during their recent tests at Brno, even in the dry conditions of FP2 and FP3.
 
Two red flag incidents interfered with all the riders’ set-up plans, but despite these interruptions Kawasaki’s official team members finished on top - after good work in the pit garage and strong showings on track from each rider.
 
Jonathan and Tom will now lead the top ten riders from Friday’s sessions into Superpole 2 tomorrow to determine their final grid positions for Race 1 later that day.
 
Rea approached the first WorldSBK race weekend at Brno since 2012 with the firm intention of prevailing in both races. Should he win again this weekend it would be his 60th career victory, making him the stand-alone all-time race winner in WorldSBK’s 31 year history. Jonathan has won five races from the 12 held so far in 2018.
 
Sykes is looking for what would be his second win of the 2018 season this weekend, having become the best ever rider in terms of Superpole starts last time out at Donington. He is yet to win a race at Brno, but came close on two occasions in 2012 while riding for Kawasaki.
 
Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki) was 12th today, with Spanish rider Roman Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) 14th. Donington podium finisher Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 18th after free practice, with Yonny Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) 16th.
 
Now the Kawasaki runners will face a short FP4 session, then Superpole 2, before lining up for the first 18-lap race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon, scheduled for 13.00 local time in the Czech Republic. Race two will take place at 13.00 on Sunday the 10th of June.
 
Jonathan Rea, stated: “Not the perfect day to set-up for race weekend but it is the same for everyone. We were lucky that we had a test here last month. After Assen we came directly here and had two good days in different conditions. It looks like today the grip level was a little bit down compared to the test because we were much faster then. I don’t know if it was overnight rain just washing some rubber off, or there has not been a lot of track activity between then and now. The set-up of the bike is quite good and I expect that the track will get better and better.”
 
Tom Sykes, stated: “The track conditions this afternoon were different and we tried out some tyre combinations. This obviously did not improve our lap times, but it was necessary for our preparations for the first race on Saturday. I feel ready now. It was definitely worth having the test here recently because today has been a mixed bag of conditions. The circuit is different now in the hotter conditions so if the sun stays out tomorrow it could be an interesting race.”
 
2018 KRT Rider Statistics
 
Jonathan Rea: World Champion 2015, 2016 & 2017
2018: Races 12, Wins 5, Podiums 10, Superpoles 2
Career Race Wins: 59 (44 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 122 (80 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 16 (12 for Kawasaki)
 
Tom Sykes: World Champion 2013
2018: Races: 12, Wins 1, Podiums 5, Superpoles 2
Career Race Wins: 34 (34 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 105 (104 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 44 (44 for Kawasaki)
 
5 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Sykes 2013, Rea 2015, 2016 & 2017), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
3 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016, Ninja ZX-10RR 2017)
3 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015, 2016 & 2017)
 
Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 115 – third overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 364 – third overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 77 – second overall
 
 
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