WorldSBK Portimao SP Race Results |First BMW win since 2012 as Rea crashes again
Michael van der Mark lands BMW's first WorldSBK win since 2012 with a measured ride in wet conditions as Jonathan Rea crashes out of contention again
Michael van der Mark has returned BMW to the head of the WorldSBK podium for the first time since 2012 after mastering tricky wet conditions at Portimao to win the Superpole Race.
After yesterday’s dramatic full-length opener, the shorter ten lap sprint provided a similarly unpredictable outcome as for the second race in succession Jonathan Rea crashed out from the lead, this time on the opening lap.
The Kawasaki man had just worked his way to the front in a bid to claw back some ground lost to his Yamaha rival, but would only get as far as Turn 13 when the ZX-10RR’s front wheel folded and thumped him down.
Nevertheless, with fewer points on offer for this race, Razgatlioglu - who isn’t renowned for his wet weather prowess - couldn’t take full advantage as he laboured to sixth at the flag, adding only four points to what is now a healthy 49-point advantage.
It also means Razgatlioglu and Rea will start within the pack in sixth and ninth respectively for this afternoon’s final encounter.
Up at the front though it will be van der Mark and BMW starting from pole position, the added reward of a steely determined ride by the Dutchman in slippery conditions to hold his nerve during the busy opening laps, van der Mark picking off early leader Scott Redding on lap four before easing home by more than five seconds.
It marks the end of a nine-year wait for BMW to return to the top of the WorldSBK podium, the last such win having come back in 2012 in Russia at the Moscow Raceway, while it is a fifth career win for van der Mark.
Redding settled for second place, with Loris Baz scoring his second podium of the weekend in third place on the Go Eleven Ducati, the duo also earning a front row start for Race 2.
Andrea Locatelli recovered from an early wide moment that dropped him down the order to finish fourth, his cause aided by a late fall for Leon Haslam up ahead.
Alvaro Bautista completed the top five, ahead of the cautious Razgatlioglu, while Axel Bassani, Garrett Gerloff and Eugene Laverty completed the final points’ paying positions in seventh, eighth and ninth.
2021 WorldSBK Portimao | Superpole Race RESULTS
2021 WorldSBK Portimao | Superpole Race RESULTS | Round 11 / 13 | |||||
Pos | Rider | Nat. | WorldSBK Team | Superbike | Timing |
1 | Michael van der Mark | NED | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK | BMW M1000RR | 10 Laps |
2 | Scott Redding | GBR | Aruba Racing Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | +5.330 |
3 | Loris Baz | FRA | Team GoEleven | Ducati Panigale V4 R | +7.066 |
4 | Andrea Locatelli | ITA | Pata Yamaha by BRIXX | Yamaha YZF-R1 | +9.264 |
5 | Alvaro Bautista | ESP | Team HRC Honda | Honda CBR1000RR-R | +9.753 |
6 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | TUR | Pata Yamaha by BRIXX | Yamaha YZF-R1 | +16.745 |
7 | Axel Bassani | ITA | Motocorsa Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R | +19.047 |
8 | Garrett Gerloff | USA | GRT Yamaha WorldSBK | Yamaha YZF-R1 | +19.115 |
9 | Eugene Laverty | GBR | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK | BMW M1000RR | +20.901 |
10 | Isaac Vinales | ESP | Orelac VerdNatura Racing | KawasakI ZX-10RR | +28.977 |
11 | Leandro Mercado | ESP | MIE Racing | Honda CBR1000RR-R | +31.057 |
12 | Samuele Cavalieri | ESP | Barni Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V4 R | +38.997 |
13 | Jonas Folger | GER | Bonovo MGM Action | BMW M1000RR | +41.330 |
14 | Tito Rabat | ESP | Kawasaki Puccetti Racing | KawasakI ZX-10RR | +51.079 |
15 | Gabriele Ruiu | ITA | B-Max Racing Team | BMW M1000RR | +55.894 |
16 | Christophe Ponsson | FRA | Gil Motorsport | Yamaha YZF-R1 | +56.194 |
17 | Lachlan Epis | AUS | TPR Team Pedercini Racing | KawasakI ZX-10RR | +1m > |
DNF | Leon Haslam | GBR | Team HRC Honda | Honda CBR1000RR-R | |
DNF | Kohta Nozane | JPN | GRT Yamaha WorldSBK | Yamaha YZF-R1 | |
DNF | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | KawasakI ZX-10RR | |
DNF | Michael Ruben Rinaldi | ESP | Aruba Racing Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | |
DNF | Loris Cresson | BEL | TPR Team Pedercini Racing | KawasakI ZX-10RR | |
DNS | Alex Lowes | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | KawasakI ZX-10RR |