Aprilia enjoyed a couple of great weekends here in 2014 and 2015. Winning all the races in those seasons, they are the only manufacturer with four straight wins in Losail. The best result for Aprilia here in 2016 was 10th from Savadori in Race 1, but last year they bounced back with a fourth and fifth with Laverty and Savadori in Race 1 and a seventh from Laverty in Race 2. Despite four wins, they have never qualified from pole at Losail: their best qualifying effort is a third with Biaggi in 2009. Last year Savadori came close to equalling that qualifying in third.
The best result for BMW at Losail came in 2016 from Jordi Torres, who was sixth in Race 2. Last year Torres came close to repeating it in Race 1, finishing seventh. But the Spaniard crashed badly in Race 2 and the only BMW at the flag was Raffaele De Rosa in 11th.
Ducati are third on the winners list at Losail, winning here three times. Bayliss opened the account in 2008’s Race 1, and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) went on to secure the double in 2016. Last year the same Davies was the best Ducati rider, finishing second in both races behind Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and taking Ducati’s podium tally at Losail to 17, the track record (Kawasaki follows at 11). Only three manufacturers have recorded pole at Losail, and all have done so three times: Kawasaki, Yamaha and Ducati. The last pole for Ducati in Qatar was recorded by Davide Giugliano in 2014.
Honda have won here thanks to James Toseland, who took the win in both in Race 1, 2006 and in Race 2, 2007. Since then they have stood on the podium once, with Jonathan Rea in 2014’s Race 2. Last year only Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) made it to the finish line in Losail for Honda, in 12th on both occasions. Davide Giugliano didn’t finish in Race 1 and was out due to gastro-enteritis in Race 2. This is one of just three among the current circuits where Honda never started from pole: the others are Aragon and San Juan. In 2016 the late Nicky Hayden came close to securing the first pole for Honda here, qualifying in second.
Last year Jonathan Rea didn’t only fill a gap in his achievements, as he had never won before at Losail, but he also won the first races for Kawasaki at this circuit, coming away with a solid double. Kawasaki stood on the podium 11 times here and are second only to Ducati in this statistic. They are one of the three teams to have recorded pole here, with Yamaha and Ducati. In the last three years they have always recorded pole from qualifying at this track, equalling the record sequence at Losail which was set by Yamaha from 2007 to 2009. They are therefore in the position to become the first manufacturer with four straight poles here.
Yamaha recorded the double win from pole here in 2009, thanks to Ben Spies. Last year they were able to climb on the podium in Race 2 with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), who finished just ahead of his team-mate Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team). They share the record of poles here with Ducati and Kawasaki, three. Last year Alex Lowes lined up in second in Race 1.
Last year MV Agusta recorded their best results at this track, with a double top nine finish with Leon Camier.
