World Superbikes: what to expect from Laguna Seca this weekend

With the half way point of the season passed, World Superbikes goes to America and the Laguna Seca Raceway, California, for round eight of the 2018 calendar.

Jonathan Rea still has a commanding 65-point lead in the championship, but will undoubtedly feel it should have been larger after he no-scored for the first time this season in the second race at Brno. Before that, Rea had claimed his 60th career World Superbike win, surpassing the record for most wins in the series previously held by Carl Fogarty. The way 2018 is panning out, Rea should equal Fogarty’s record of most championships come the season end.

Rea's DNF at Brno came about after a coming together with team mate Tom Sykes. The pair were battling through the field after the usual reverse grid start in race two when they clashed. Sykes was able to continue while Rea’s race was ended. The pair have never been the closest of team mates and things came to a head after the race with both openly blaming the other for the incident.

Even after no-scoring Rea managed to increase his lead in the championship, outscoring Davies by one point over the two races thanks to the 25 points for the race one victory. Davies finished eighth and third respectively giving the Welshman a 24-point haul for the weekend.

Rea may be the one breaking the records but race two at Brno gave fellow Brirtish rider Alex Lowes his maiden win in the series after 118 race starts. The victory by Lowes was the 230th by a British rider. Lowes team mate Michael van der Mark was runner up to Lowes in the race giving Yamaha their first one two in the series since 2011 when Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty won for the Japanese manufacturer. Yamaha have now won three from the last four races after van der Mark claimed the double at Donnington Park.

Six riders currently share the accolade of most wins at the California circuit, two of who, Sykes and Davies are from the current field. In recent years British riders have dominated proceedings, the last none British winner at the circuit was Marco Melandri in the first race of 2014. Laguna is obviously a circuit Sykes enjoys; he has finished on the podium there on nine occasions a record that is only bettered by Troy Corser with 11. Ominously Sykes’ team mate Rea has also enjoyed significant success at the circuit finishing outside the podium places on only two occasions from eight races.

World Superbikes current standings

1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 270 points

2 Chaz Davies (Ducati) 205

3 Michael van der Mark (Yamaha) 196

4 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 179

5 Marco Melandri (Ducati) 157

6 Alex Lowes (Yamaha) 154

World Supersport

The World Supersport championship is somewhat closer than its bigger brother, with only two points separating Sandro Cortese and Jules Cluzel. It is Cluzel who is the form rider having three wins from the last four races. The Frenchman has now finished on the podium for the last five races. Cortese seems to have taken to the Yamaha machine, which in the absence of Kenan Sofuoglu on the Kawasaki is the dominant package.

Cluzel was on the Honda last year and after a poor start he finished the season as one of the most consistent riders on the grid, eventually taking third place in the championship. Cluzel is one of five Yamahas in the top six, the sole interloper being Raffaele De Rosa on an MV Agusta.

British riders Luke Stapleford and Kyle smith are currently 7th and 11th. Stapleford has recently moved to Yamaha machinery from Triumph and has seen his results dip. The two machines are very different, the Triumph being a triple cylinder and the Yamaha the more normal (for the class) four cylinder; it looks like a period of adjustment could be required.

Further down the field in 19th is Andrew Irwin who has recently moved to the British Superbike series as a replacement for the injured Shane Byrne with the BE Wiser Ducati team alongside older brother Glenn.#

World Supersport current standings

1 Sandro Cortese (Yamaha) 122 points

2 Jules Cluzel (Yamaha) 120

3 Randy Krummenacher (Yamaha) 105

4 Lucas Mahias (Yamaha) 103

5 Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta) 83

6 Federico Caricasulo (Yamaha) 79