#ARGWorldSBK: No start in race one

Whilst Sandro Cortese's Yamaha Superbike was ready to race after finishing ninth in Superpole, the 29-year-old Berkheimer was very concerned about safety matters due to the track’s conditions.

The condition of the San Juan circuit was an important point of discussion throughout the weekend, with riders expressing their concern about the dirty surface and redesigned areas of the track. By the start of the first race on Saturday afternoon, air temperatures had risen above 30 degrees. On the ground even 45 degrees were measured. In view of these conditions, the surface became even more slippery and unpredictable. Sandro Cortese and his teammate Marco Melandri were the first to appeal for a postponement of the race to Sunday. In view of these circumstances the two of them decided not to start. In total there were six riders who missed the first race of the weekend in the northwest of Argentina due to safety concerns.

#11 Sandro CORTESE (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK, Yamaha YZF R1), Grid position 9th / Race1: NS:

"First of all, I'm very sorry for all the fans, my team, our sponsors and my crew because they all had a lot of work to do to prepare our bikes for the first race. Probably Marco and I are now standing there like bad guys because we decided not to ride. But I stand by my decision because I don’t think that the track was safe enough to race today. We offered a solution and suggested two races over the full distance tomorrow. On Sunday, the temperatures should be much cooler. But this proposal was rejected despite the fact that it’s are the riders who have to go out on a track where conditions are almost irregular. Our safety was not guaranteed. So, today is a big disappointment for me."

#ARGWorldSBK - Superpole Result:

1 Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R / 1´40.771

2 Michael van der MARK / NED / Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1 / 1´40.896 +0.125

3 Jonathan REA / GBR / Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR / 1´40.911 +0.140

9 #11 Sandro CORTESE / GER / GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF-R1 / 1´42.568 +1.797

#ARGWorldSBK - Race Classification after 21 Laps:

1 Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R / 35´38.957

2 Jonathan REA / Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR / +1.562

3 Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU / TUR / Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR / +3.327

NS #11 Sandro CORTESE / GER / GRT Yamaha WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1

#WorldSBK Standing:

1 Jonathan REA / GBR / Kawasaki / 564

2 Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / Ducati / 440

3 Alex LOWES / GBR / Yamaha / 290

11 #11 Sandro CORTESE / GER / Yamaha / 122