FIM Sportbike World Championship’s current Riders’ Championship leader, David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI), ended the wait for his first World Sportbike race win to the elation of the fans in attendance at his home round.
Salvador kicked off his home round with an authoritative second pole position of WorldSPB’s maiden season as his 1’59.433s lap was half a second faster than Aprilia rider Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2). Salvador flew off the line from pole position to lead the first four laps before Taiyo Aksu (PATA AG Motorsport Italika Racing) crashed on Turn 4, bringing out the red flag. The race was restarted over a limited five-lap distance, and Salvador set out with the same determination at lights out, leading the first lap.
“The Aprilia bike is amazing; at every circuit it’s catching me”
Vannucci was heartset not to let the Spaniard beat him to P1 again, making his way past on Lap 2 with a 1’59.850s, good for the second-fastest lap of the race. Despite the Aprilia RS 660 Factory’s blistering speed, Vannucci couldn’t shake Salvador, as the Italian never led the race for more than a tenth, and his lead was just six thousandths on Lap 3. Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) ran down the inside of the #9 into Turn 1 of the final lap, forcing the Aprilia rider to pick up the bike, giving an opening for Salvador to follow the #34. Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) attempted a bold move from P3 around the outside of the parabolic Turns 16-17. Artigas in P1 left a pinch of daylight on the inside as he heard the Brit fast approaching, and Salvador squeezed by on the inside for his first win of the season, less than half a tenth faster than the #34 and the #73.
On the win, Salvador said: “The race was really difficult because of the red flag. At the beginning, I tried to push, but it wasn’t enough because on the back straight, the Aprilia bike is amazing, at every circuit, it’s catching and overtaking me at that point. In the end, I feel very comfortable on the corners, so I tried to push there. Here it’s very difficult because other riders overtake you on the straight, but I feel super happy because I won.”
His Race 2 looked promising as he had nearly summited the timesheet from a P10 start, until with three laps to go on Turn 2, Elia Bartolini (CM Triumph Factory Racing) cut inside of the #38, and on the change of direction the bikes went bar to bar, sending Salvador’s Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 Ninja sprawling into the gravel. For the incident, Bartolini was applied a Long Lap Penalty for Irresponsible Riding by FIM WorldSBK Stewards, which ultimately cost him the race win, as the #23 failed to complete it, and the resulting three-second penalty sent Bartolini back to P6 despite crossing the line in P1.
“I need to keep working this way with my team as we did here”
The #38 has been metronomic so far this season in his podium consistency, tasting the Prosecco DOC in six of the season’s eight races, yet the Spaniard was yet to climb up to the top step. His teammate leads the category in Race wins with two, but the balanced field of machines has seen seven different winners in eight races, split between three manufacturers, with so far Kawasaki, Suzuki and Aprilia bikes leading the field across the finish line.
On what his Race 1 win meant to him, Salvador said: “I’m really happy, I finally won my first WorldSPB victory in Race 1, which was my third podium in a row. I’m super happy to win in front of my family at my home circuit. I just need to keep working this way with my team as we did here in my home round at a Spanish circuit. It’s nice to win points in the Championship, but it’s not my focus at the moment. I try to always push 100%, that’s what’s most important”
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