Haga sweeps Valencia World Superbike

From the World Superbike Championship

VALENCIA, SPAIN -- Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) dominated both races in round three of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia on Sunday.

In front of 65,000 spectators the Japanese rider notched up wins number 35 and 36 in his 10-year long World Superbike career to lead the table with 135 points.

Team-mate Michel Fabrizio also had a positive weekend, the young Italian taking second and third while the remaining podium places went to Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Alstare) in race 1 and rookie Texan Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) in the second encounter.

Haga led virtually from lights to flag in the first race after moving past early leader Neukirchner at the start of lap three. The championship leader added a chunk of points to his advantage over Spies, who crashed out while fighting with the German.

“Not so bad," Haga said. "Anyway I had a good feeling this weekend, bike and the team have both been working well. At the start it was good but I had already decided I would go into the lead in the early laps. Finally I kept my own race. Of course I want to win both races today but it’s not so easy. I now have a very good feeling with this bike, it is so easy to ride, that’s why I was able to push. Also I did very consistent laps with this tire.”

Fabrizio took the second slot to give the factory Ducati team a 1-2 finish.

Front-row man Regis Laconi (Ducati DFX) finished just one place away from the podium, while Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing) was the first Honda rider to the flag ahead of Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare).

Yamaha’s race was saved with the positive form of Tom Sykes in seventh ahead of Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing), who recovered well from a lowly grid position.

Broc Parkes finished an encouraging 10th for Kawasaki, with Superbike rookie John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda) one place behind.

Riders who crashed out included Troy Corser (BMW), who was running fourth in the early laps, and Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who remounted but retired.

Haga dominated the second race in a similar fashion, this time taking the lead on lap five. He then pulled out to win by over five seconds, taking a new lap record in 1:34.618 in the process.

“We did a great job this weekend," Haga said. "I think one of the reasons is that after Qatar I did some ‘age training!' But anyway today 50 points is a great advantage over Ben and I’m very happy with this double win.”

Spies managed to prevent a second Ducati 1-2 of the day with the runner-up slot but never managed to challenge Haga for the win. Third went to Fabrizio, who again had to hold off Laconi throughout the 23 laps for the final podium slot.

“I was trying as hard as we could in the first couple of laps, but had a couple of problems and didn’t quite get rolling," Spies explained. "By the time we got into second, I would have needed to be right on the back of Nori to stay with him because he was riding at a really good pace. I just didn’t quite have those three or four tenths today so I will come back at Assen and try to step it up.”

Haslam scored another fifth place, again the best Honda rider to the flag, ahead of Checa and Neukirchner, who faded away with tire problems after starting off well.

Biaggi came home in eighth place again, after prevailing in a five-way battle with Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda), Sykes, Shane Byrne (Ducati Sterilgarda) and Hopkins.

The final point went to Corser, while Parkes failed to get into the top 15.

On his third appearance in World Supersport, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) finally managed to step onto the top of the podium. The British rider made the decisive move at the start of  the final lap when he passed Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda), who was unable to respond.

Third place went to Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), who moved back into the lead of the championship, level on points with Crutchlow, who also set the new lap record in 1:36.865.

Just off the podium was Mark Aitchison (Honda Althea), ahead of the Kawasaki of Katsuaki Fujiwara.

Qatar winner Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) could only finish ninth, while former leader Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) fared even worse with a disappointing 13th place.

One of the pre-race favourites Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki) had a race to forget when he was forced to retire with tire problems.

The opening Superstock 1000 round was dominated from the start by Claudio Corti, who powered away from the front row of the grid into the lead. The battle for the runner-up slot was first between Javier Fores (Kawasaki Pedercini) and Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Honda), who were then joined by Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox).

After a few laps, Corti upped the ante to eventually win the race with a five-second lead over his pursuers. The other two podium finishers were Simeon and Berger.

Polesitter Davide Giugliano (MV Agusta) had to retire with a technical problem.

Danilo Petrucci made it two Italian winners in Superstock with an overwhelming victory in the opening 600 class round. After dominating qualifying and setting pole, Petrucci met with no opposition in the race and he took the chequered flag by a comfortable margin of four seconds.

Superbike Race One Results
1. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 36:44.766 (150.408 km/h)
2. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R +3.677
3. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 +3.959
4. Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R +4.210
5. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR +13.824
6. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 +14.562
7. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 +15.155
8. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +16.316
9. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R +20.361
10. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R +23.878
11. Hopkins J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR +30.902
12. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR +31.298
13.Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR +32.660
14. Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R +42.156
15. Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR +43.040

Superbike Race Two Results
1. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 36:46.927 (150.261 km/h)
2. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 +5.105
3. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R +6.386
4. Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098R +6.573
5. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR +14.075
6. Checa C. (ESP)Honda CBR1000RR +17.333
7. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 +19.207
8. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +20.697
9. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR +21.015
10. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 +22.581
11. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R +22.604
12. Hopkins J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR +23.952
13. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR +29.082
14. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R +29.277
15. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR +32.384

Superbike Points (after 3 of 14 rounds)
1. Haga 135
2. Spies 95
3. Neukirchner 65
4. Fabrizio 60
5. Haslam 58
6. Laconi 56
7. Biaggi 54
8. Sykes 47
9. Kagayama 35
10. Rea 33