Ivo Lopes returned to the top of the ESBK Spanish Superbike Championship with victory in the first of this weekend’s two scheduled SBK class races at Circuito de Navarra this afternoon (Saturday).
For the Portuguese rider, twice an ESBK Spanish Superbike Champion in the past, this was a first victory of the season. It was also a repeat of his success at the venue in each of the previous two years and could be a good indication for him, not just ahead of Sunday’s second race, but also looking ahead to Circuito de Navarra’s next ESBK event later this summer.
Lopes crossed the line just over a second ahead of Roman Ramos, who had set the qualifying pace to take pole position earlier in the day. It was Lopes who rode to the chequered flag first however, securing victory for BMW machinery ahead of the Kawasaki.
The podium was completed by Steven Odendaal, one of this season’s leading contenders with two victories to his name ahead of the event at Circuito de Navarra. The South African ended the race just under eight seconds behind Lopes, but as another rider to have won at the circuit in northern Spain, he’ll have high hopes for tomorrow and the later event at the track.
Frenchman Christophe Ponsson was fourth, a little further back down the road, almost 20 seconds behind the victor. This was narrowly ahead of Francisco J. Palomera on the first of the Team Honda Laglisse entries, the leading machine in the STCK1000 class in the race.
Palomera’s teammate Juan Pablo Uriostegui was next in sixth overall and second in STCK1000 with Mauro Gonzalez rounding out the class podium with seventh overall.
ESBK SBK Race 1 result, Circuito de Navarra
- Ivo Lopes (BMW Easyrace Team)
- Roman Ramos (Kawasaki Palmeto JDO), +1.283s
- Steven Odendaal (New2 Project), +7.893s
- Christophe Ponsson (Alma Racing Team), +19.236s
- Francisco J. Palomera (Team Honda Laglisse), +19.839s
- Juan Pablo Uriostegui (Team Honda Laglisse), +43.294s
- Mauro Gonzalez (Deza – Box 77 Racing Team), +45.434s
- Reto Wiederkehr, +1m53.267s
- Javier Artime (Team Honda Laglisse), +1 lap
- Afonso Viva Azevedo (Alma Racing Team), +1 lap