CAFÉ RACER 76

WSS ; PJ Jacobsen s’offre sa première victoire en Malaisie / Jacobsen wins in WSS for the first time in Sepang

PJ Jacobsen a résisté à Jules Cluzel pour devenir le premier Américain à s’imposer en World Supersport.

Après avoir décroché sa toute première pole position en Championnat du Monde Supersport samedi au Circuit International de Sepang, PJ Jacobsen a réussi à décrocher sa toute première victoire dimanche en course, la deuxième de Honda et du team CORE Motorsport Thailand cette année suite à celle de Ratthapark Wilairot en Thaïlande.

Devancé par Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) au départ, le New-Yorkais n’a pas mis longtemps à reprendre l’avantage devant le Français et Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), qui est vite revenu dans le Top 3 après avoir complètement manqué son premier virage.

Le Turc, leader du classement général, n’a cependant pas pu suivre ses deux adversaires sur la durée et les a laissés se disputer une victoire remportée par un fantastique PJ Jacobsen, qui est parvenu à solidement mener devant Cluzel et à répondre à la dernière tentative du Français dans l’ultime virage de la course.

S’il manquait la victoire, Cluzel recevait néanmoins un bon coup de main de la part de son coéquipier Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) dans la lutte pour le titre mondial puisque l’Italien a mis Sofuoglu sous pression en fin de course et est parvenu à dérober la troisième place au triple Champion du Monde à la fin du dernier tour.

À trois courses de la fin de la saison, Cluzel réduit ainsi son retard sur Sofuoglu de vingt à treize points tandis que Jacobsen revient à quinze points du Français.

À six secondes du duel pour la troisième place, Kyle Smith (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) a pris la cinquième place devant Roberto Rolfo (Team Lorini), Martin Cardenas (CIA Landlords Insurance), Gino Rea (CIA Landlords Insurance), Christian Gamarino (Team Go Eleven) et Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25), qui complétaient le Top 10.

WSS race decided on run to the line.

The 9^th round of the World Supersport championship, held at the Sepang International circuit was won by PJ Jacobsen (CORE Motorsport Thailand) after a race long, enthralling duel with Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) raged from start to finish at the 5.543km circuit. The result means that the Thai based team have won both races in Asia this year (Buriram and here).

From the start championship leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) surged to the front only to outbrake himself at turn 1, dropping to 7^th. The Turkish rider ended the opening lap 5^th before setting about closing the gap to the leading duo who began to open a small advantage at the head of the field.

By half distance Sofuoglu had bridged the gap meaning the top three riders in the overall championship were in contention for the victory until the Turk began to lose touch, falling into the clutches of Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).

PJ Jacobsen, the American who scored his maiden Pole Position yesterday held his nerve despite the intense pressure from Cluzel to win for the first time in World Supersport by 0.091s at the flag. In doing so he becomes the first American rider to ever win a WSS race and he keeps himself very much in the title fight. Cluzel took second ahead of team mate Zanetti who overtook Sofuoglu at the final corner.

Behind the top four Pata Honda’s Kyle Smith finished a lonely 5^th ahead of the equally lonely Roberto Rolfo (Team Lorini) who was 6^th.

A trio of riders decided positions 7^th to 9^th with Martin Cardenas getting the better of his CIA Landlords Insurance team mate Gino Rea and Christian Gamarino (Team Go Eleven). Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) rounded out the top ten.

Dominic Schmitter (Team Go Eleven), Fabio Menghi (VFT Racing), Kevin Wahr (SMS Honda), Aiden Wagner (CIA Landlords Insurance) and Marcos Ramirez (Team Lorini) were 11^th to 15^th respectively, completing the point scorers.

In the overall championship standings Sofuoglu still leads but by a reduced margin of 13 points.

Land Rover Defender granted stay of execution… for now

Again proving itself to be the ultimate survival vehicle, the Land Rover Defender has been granted a temporary stay of execution. Production of the legendary off-roader was originally planned to finish in December this year but, due to increased demand, will continue into 2016 – its 68th year…

According to a factory worker quoted in the Birmingham Post, production of the Land Rover Defender will be extended through February 2016 (and possibly into April) in a response to heightened demand for the outgoing icon. Last year, 17,781 examples were sold in total – but the company has already sold 11,511 in the first half of 2015, an increase of almost 30%. The official line from Whitley is that the company “does not expect production to continue past the end of January 2016” but, with its crucial replacement yet to break cover, and the company admitting that the date of the wind-down has not yet been decided, it would be foolish to think the Defender was incapable of demonstrating its survival skills one final time.

Photos: Land Rover

Is the Bugatti Veyron the next multi-million-dollar collectable?

In August, two important Bugatti Veyrons come up for sale at RM Sotheby’s. The result is eagerly awaited – as it could demonstrate that the hypercar from Molsheim is about to succeed the McLaren F1 as the collectors’ favourite.

Even before the last Bugatti Veyron, chassis number 450, left the Molsheim factory back in February, a heated discussion had built up among collectors and experts: would the 16-cylinder sports car with its 1,000HP-plus and numerous speed records become a collectable that – as with the McLaren F1 from the 1990s – would continue to gain in value? A glance at the auction results from recent years fuels the speculation: in 2012, RM Auctions sold an almost unused Bugatti Veyron for 579,600 pounds sterling in London. A year later, the auction house took 2.31 million US dollars for a Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Bleu Nuit. And last summer, a Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse ‘Le Ciel Californien’ sold for 2.42 million dollars in Monterey.

Numbers 001 and 300

Even among the stunning entries of the RM Sotheby’s ‘Pinnacle Portfolio’, due to go under the hammer on 13 August 2015 in Monterey, these two Bugattis stand out. The red and black 2006 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 carries – as the first production model to leave the Molsheim factory – chassis number 001. And the white 2012 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is number 300. Both cars are like new, and both were shown, along with Veyron number 450, at the 2015 Geneva motor show. Also important for collectors is the fact that the hypercars are Bugatti Certified and come with a two-year warranty that covers all servicing. We can’t wait to see how high the bidding goes.