amcn.com.au 121
SSCIF YOU ONLY listened to
Jonathan Rea (KRT) talk about
his race-two crash during the
seventh round of the World
Superbike Championship in
the Czech republic, then it
was definitely his teammate
Tom Sykes’ fault. And if you
only listened to Sykes, it was
definitely Rea’s fault.
In the end, despite the
incident which caused Rea to
fall shortly before the end of the
third lap, there was no further
action taken, even after it was
investigated by race control.
So maybe it was just a racing
incident? Not according to the
KRT duo whose relationship is
already far from amicable.
So, what happened?
Rea’s first no score of the year
happened as the KRT riders
went around the third lap of
Race 2. Rea passed inside Sykes
into one of Brno’s long chicanes.
They crossed paths and as Rea
cut back and Sykes went for his
ideal line, some part of Rea’sbike and Sykes’s
bike hit and down
went the new
all-time race-win
record holder.Sykes said
“It looks like
there are people
making a big deal
out of this but the
long and short
of it is he made
an uncalculated
pass, ran wide
and obviously I
focused on my
exit up the hill.
He obviously
looked to cut it back, he was off
line, and he tried to cut it back
onto the racing line and I was
there so... there was no action
taken. I spoke to race direction,
because clearly somebody has
complained, but you can see
when he passes me, he goes in
there too fast and my bike never
changes angle.The fact is he
made a mistake. If
Ipass somebody
on the inside and
run wide, when I
cut the bike back,
you have always
got to check. In the
early laps there is
no gaps. So, two
things I do. Check
to see if the racing
line is clear, as it is
you who has made
the mistake, and
second of all, if
you want to give it
full gas, stay half
a metre off the
racing line and you will have
no problem. I think it was just
obviously a miscalculation on
his behalf but I am the one being
blamed. It is certainly not my
fault.”Rea said
“He drove into the side of me, it
is clear to see from his onboardfootage that he completely hit
the side of my bike and side of
my body. My elbow, knee and
the side of my bike. From the
uphill facing camera it was
hard to see because we were in
a group, but from his onboard
camera, you can very clearly
see that he rode straight into the
side of me. It was a side contact.”
“It is unfortunate for me in
the points situation, but it is
how it is. The only thing I can’t
understand is what was in
Tom’s brain in that moment of
madness. I can’t understand
this guy that when every other
rider in the paddock passes,
him, he cannot fight with other
riders. He goes in the race when
there is a fight to be had, he is
going backwards. But when it is
me, he is attacking straight back
at the next corner. It has been
clear all weekend that we had a
much better pace.
I cannot accept the blame put
on me, it is ludicrous.”
GORDON RITCHIEJones strong in Spanish SSTK
AUSTRALIA’S 2015 SUPERBIKE
champion and two-time MotoGP
wildcard Mike Jones is having a
decent season in the Superstock
1000 category of the Spanish
Speed Championship, the
country’s domestic Superbike
series.
Riding a ZX-10R for Team
Speed Racing squad, the
likeable Aussie is sitting sixth
overall after just two rounds,
followingapairofseventh-placefinishes in Albacete (7-8 April)
and Catalunya (26-27 May. His
results are not indicative of his
pace, however, with the Aussie
finding himself jostling for
second position before running
off track and recovering for
seventh during Catalunya’s
Round 2.
“Intense first time racing at
Catalunya,” he said. “I made a
bad start but rode to the limit,
setting the third quickest lapof the race to catch the group
battling for second position.
“Finally, after a few
unsuccessful passing attempts
and a trip through the gravel
trap to avoid a backmarker, I
finished seventh. I surprised
myself to be this close to the
podium in just the second race
of the championship.”
The third round of the six-
round series now heads to
Navarro over 23-24 June.KBWSBKHandbags out in KRT
“The onlything I can’tunderstandis whatwas inTom’s brainin thatmoment!”- Rea
He said, he said.
Sparks fl y in an
already tense
KRT garage