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Salvador’s Race Wins Complete A Scorching Misano Weekend
The Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ in June provided consistently hot and dry weather conditions, as once again the new-for-2026 FIM Sportbike World Championship provided opportunities for the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636 riders to shine as brightly as the relentless sun. David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) rose to meet that challenge in Race 2, securing his second race win of the year and extending his championship lead.
In Superpole Qualifying on Friday, June 12, Salvador secured his third consecutive pole position start on his Ninja. The next best Kawasaki rider in Superpole was David’s teammate, Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) in eighth place.
The ever-improving Jose Osuna (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team Kawasaki) placed tenth in Race 1 grid after the Superpole, with Aragon race winner Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) 11th and Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team Kawasaki) 12th.
Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki), who ended the Superpole in 15th place, was made to start at the back of the Race 1 grid, after being issued a penalty for a yellow flag procedure infringement during the Superpole session. He was thus 31st on the Race 1 grid. He had arrived in Misano still feeling the effects of a crash at the previous round at Motorland Aragon.
In the opening race of the weekend, on Saturday June 13, hot conditions were in evidence once again, with the track temperature rising to 122°F.
Incidents and close action were also in evidence in this closely contested of categories within the overall WorldSBK paddock, but every Kawasaki rider managed to finish the intense 12-lap opening race at the 2.62 mile-long seaside circuit.
The fastest Ninja rider proved to be Championship leader, Salvador. He would finish just behind the podium trio, with his last lap plan ruined by another rider who was almost high-sided right in front of him. Salvador was still just 1.163 seconds from the race win.
Only 0.094 seconds behind Salvador was his teammate Torres, in fifth place. Competing in the same group as the ProDina riders, MTM Kawasaki competitor Artigas was seventh.
Four more Kawasaki riders posted points-scoring finishes, with all finishing together from 11th to 14th place.
Osuna was 11th, a penalized Fuertes 12th (after exceeding track limits on the final lap), Juan Risueno (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) was 13th (also penalized for a track limits infringement), and a battling Veneman went from his 11th row starting position to 14th, scoring two championship points for his great efforts.
The second race was another tight affair from the start, but it was to prove to be a much better experience for one particular Kawasaki rider.
Salvador was in the fight for the Race 2 win all the way through, leading the race on four separate occasions, including the most important lap–the final one.
He would form a three-rider mini-breakaway group at the end and finish up leading Carter Thompson (Yamaha) and Fenton Seabright (Triumph) across the line by 0.039 and 0.148 seconds, respectively.
This was Salvador’s second race win of the season, and the sixth for any Kawasaki rider since the inaugural round in late March. The other Kawasaki race winners are Veneman and Artigas with one each, and Torres with two.
In the final official Race 2 results, Artigas placed fifth, after being pushed from his ideal racing line by another rider, not once but twice.
The improving pace and race showings from Osuna and his Deza-Box 77 Kawasaki Team saw him ninth in Race 2, and only 1.523 seconds from the race win.
After a three-second penalty was applied to Torres for irresponsible riding, he dropped down to tenth in the official results, instead of fourth.
Fuertes and Risueno each scored points in this race, for 13th and 14th places respectively. Correa was 19th.
Another misfortune hit Veneman in Race 2 as he was taken out for the fourth time this season. He escaped with bashes and bruises, and was understandably unhappy at his recent string of bad luck induced by other riders.
After five of eight championship rounds have now been completed, the top of the table makes happy reading for Kawasaki fans. Salvador leads Torres by 164 points to 130, a gap of 34. Artigas is just one point behind Torres, with 129. The next Kawasaki rider in the rankings, Veneman, is tenth with 62 points. Fuertes is 11th with 48 points and Osuna is 15th with 30 points.
Kawasaki, thanks to its Team Green™ rider and team support program, is now 70 points ahead of Triumph and 79 ahead of Suzuki in the Manufacturers' Standings. Two Kawasaki squads lead the Teams’ Standings, with Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI 102 points ahead of MTM Kawasaki, 294 to 192.
The next round for this exciting new category of racing will not be at Donington Park with most of the other WorldSBK paddock classes, but Round 6 takes place at the subsequent round at Magny-Cours in France between September 7-9.
“Saturday ended with a tough race. For most of it, I was in the top positions, always fighting for the podium. I was trying to manage the situation because I saw some riders really pushing the limit, and I didn't want to make any unnecessary mistakes. I even had a rather risky moment towards the end when the rider in front of me risked a highside, and I almost hit him. Fortunately, we managed to avoid contact and continue the race. In the end, we finished in fourth place. Throughout Race 2, the others managed to overtake me on the straight, so I tried to make the most of my strengths in braking. Our bike works very well in that area, and I felt particularly competitive, too. In the end, I'm really happy because winning on the team's home track is special. We're working well, and the results are showing. We know there's still room for improvement, especially on the straight, to be even more competitive and have a more complete package. We're continuing to work with this mentality because we're on the right path. Now, we'll take a few days to recharge our batteries, and then we'll start preparing for Magny-Cours as best we can, with the goal of arriving even stronger.”
- David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI)