The seventh WorldSBK round at Donington Park in the UK has drawn to a conclusion with today’s Superpole Race and Race 2.
Yesterday, Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Bahattin Sofuoglu were on track for Superpole and Race 1, in which the Italian placed fourteenth, followed by his Turkish teammate, fifteen.
This morning, in cloudy but dry conditions, the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK riders lined up for the ten-lap Superpole Race. Both made a fast start that allowed them to make up positions right away. With strong race pace, Sofuoglu concluded sixteenth, just ahead of Rinaldi.
In Race 2, which ran in the afternoon, Bahattin and Michael gave it their all as they always do. At a track that does not favour the characteristics of the YZF-R1, the duo concluded the race in seventeenth and eighteenth place respectively.
The next WorldSBK round will take place over the weekend of 25-27 July at the Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary.
"I think we’ve had a positive weekend here at Donington. Both the team and riders have exploited our current potential. We’ll continue to work hard to improve further over the next rounds.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi - Rider #21
“We’d have preferred to use a different tyre this morning with respect to that of yesterday, but this year’s SBK regulation doesn’t allow for many tyres changes over the same weekend and so I had to use another soft tyre in the Superpole Race, which didn’t offer me the necessary grip over the last laps. It was a pity because I could have done better. In Race 2, we decided to test some new solutions, as I haven’t been riding this bike for long and need to carry out some tests if I want to move forward. The gap to the front was less than it was at Misano, but we won’t stop and will keep giving it our all to improve.”
Bahattin Sofuoglu - Rider #99
“We did a great job today and our setup was competitive every time we went out on track. We completed a good Superpole Race, while in Race 2 we closed the gap separating us from the frontrunners. Our goal is to make constant progress and we’re doing just that. I want to thank the team for all their help.”
