Published July 29, 2023 by Michael Le Pard , Editor‑in‑Chief
| In Most, the WorldSBK on the podium gamble on the intermediates and finish the race without any pit stops; in WorldSSP victory for Bulega with Lehmann winning the 300 class in the wet on slicks
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Unstable weather and Pirelli DIABLO Wet intermediate tyres were the protagonists on the first day of the FIM World Superbike Championship, held this weekend at the Most circuit, in the Czech Republic. Winning WorldSBK Race 1 was six-time world champion Kawasaki rider Jonathan Rea, breaking a dry spell after 252 days absent from the top step of the podium. Rea, like the other riders on the podium, gambled on intermediate tyres for the race and was rewarded, unlike the other riders who opted instead for wet tyres. It was a dry race for WorldSSP, with the riders using standard SC0 and SC1 tyres at the rear and front respectively, won by Nicolò Bulega on Ducati. Another spectacular race in the 300 class, won by German rider Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) who, after starting from the 22nd spot on the grid, stayed on slicks despite the heavy rainfall that began at mid-race, taking home a well-deserved victory.
Intermediate tyres the key to success in Race 1 “We watched some unusual races today, influenced by the unstable weather and where tyre strategy was fundamental. Heavy rain began to fall during the 300 race, the first of the day, forcing the riders to return to pit lane in order to change tyres. It then tapered off gradually, but at the WorldSBK Race 1 start, the track was still wet and it was still raining a bit. In this case, we can definitely say that tyre choice decided the fate of the race. Those who gambled on the intermediate tyres and on the possibility that the track would progressively dry out gained the upper hand over those who decided instead to put on rain tyres and then were forced to pit to switch out. However, it is worth mentioning that, even after the mid-race point, with the track quite dry, the intermediates continued performing extremely well, with about a two-second difference in performance compared with the slicks, which was not enough to allow the riders who had switched to slicks to make up for the time lost in the pit stop. So, the intermediates were the protagonists in WorldSBK, whereas the slicks performed respectably in Supersport, especially in the 300 race which Lehmann won in the rain, managing his slicks on the wet track in an exemplary fashion. Congratulations to Rea and all the race winners today!”
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Michael Le Pard (“Mr. Totalmotorcycle”) is the Founder of Total Motorcycle, the world’s largest motorcycle information site, trusted by over 430 million riders since 1999. With over 34 years of experience in motorcycles, gear and rider culture, he has built a global community dedicated to empowering and inspiring motorcyclists.
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