From the World Superbike Championship
Title contenders Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) scored a win apiece in the penultimate round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Superbike in front of a record 81,000 spectators at Magny-Cours on Sunday but it is the Japanese rider who now has the advantage in the points table.
The Texan dominated race 1 but 'Nitro-Nori' responded in the second encounter with a lights-to-flag victory, as Spies was unable to go any higher than fourth. Ten points now separate the two as the series heads for its final round in Portugal in three weeks time.
Max Biaggi scored two more podium finishes for Aprilia Racing, a third and a second, Jonathan Rea grabbed a third for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda, while Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) had an off day.
Spies and Haga predictably set the first race alight as they fought for the win. At the flag it was the Texan who took the maximum points with his 13th win of the season after leading from the start, but he was made to fight for it by his Japanese rival.
“I had some good parts of the race and some bad ones," Spies said. "We made a lot of very small mistakes, but I was taking care to make it easy when I had the cushion. I didn’t take advantage of it and almost ruined the lead because they all came back to me.
"On the last lap I made another mistake and I knew that with me running wide, he [Haga] probably went in a little bit tighter than normal and I would get him on the outside. It paid off.”
Haga was the quickest man on the track at the end but paid the price of a slow start and being held up behind Biaggi for too long, thus losing touch with Spies.
“If only I had one more lap something would have happened for sure," Haga said. "I made a mistake at the start because there was some problem with the bike. I just gained in the middle of the race in the top three and tried to start pushing. On the last lap I was thinking that Ben would make a mistake somewhere for sure and then he did at one corner. I almost passed but we made a good race anyway.”
The Italian did take the final podium slot however, confirming the RSV4’s competitiveness at the French circuit.
“I give it my best but I saw that Ben could do high 38s in the warm-up and that was very difficult for us," Biaggi said. "During the first part of the race I pushed hard and had a good tire; I was fast in some parts of the track but not in others. But overall I’m near maximum. Then I made a mistake when Nori came, I put a wrong gear and he overtook me, but overall Aprilia and myself made a very good race.”
Fourth place went to Fabrizio, who lost touch with the leading group in the early stages, losing out on any chance of the podium.
Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing) was the leading Honda man to the finish with a positive fifth place, ahead of the Hannspree Ten Kate machine of Carlos Checa.
Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare) had a good run in seventh, the Japanese rider finishing ahead of Shane Byrne (Ducati Sterilgarda) and the BMW of Troy Corser.
Rea had a technical problem and was out on lap 7, and another problem also brought a halt to the debut race for Leon Camier (Aprilia Racing).
Haga made amends in the second race, the Ducati Xerox man dominating almost from start to finish after a much better start. Haga got the better of Biaggi on the opening lap and then held the pace right until the end for his eighth win of the season.
“For sure this is an important win for me," Haga said. "Especially after Nurburgring I don’t sleep every night because I am always thinking about the position in the championship. I’m really happy with this second place and win.
"My chief engineer made a good setting for race 2 and the feeling was good for race pace distance. I couldn’t make an advantage from Max and Johnny but concentrated on the last laps to take this win, which gave the Manufacturers’ title to Ducati.”
Spies this time could only struggle to fourth after encountering tire problems.
Biaggi had a great scrap with Rea for second, while Haslam put in another solid performance to take his Stiggy Racing Honda to another fifth.
“I’m very happy and it was a very hard race," Biaggi said. "From the beginning everyone was fast, the top four or five were at a very similar pace. I had a good rhythm, I followed Nori, he looked very confident, I was wondering if he could keep the pace until the end and I got my answer because he was still lapping well.
"At the start of the race someone ran off the track and a big stone broke my window and I was worried that the radiator was broken. I started to push again and for me it was a good race.”
The two Suzukis went quite well at the French circuit, with both riders finishing in the top 10, Kagayama sixth and Karl Muggeridge eighth, but BMW could only bring their men home in 10th (Corser) and 12th (Xaus).
Fabrizio had another rather unconvincing run, the Italian crashing out while trying to pass Byrne and then remounting to finish in 13th place.
After Cal Crutchlow’s crash at Imola, which threw the title fight wide-open, the Supersport race at Magny-Cours produced more of the same as Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) paid back the favour by crashing out immediately after passing the Yamaha man.
The Irish rider managed to get back on the bike, with his fairing hanging off, but could only finish 13th, a result that leaves the gap between the two at 19 points. Crutchlow, who finished second, now just needs six points at Portimao to claim the Supersport title in his rookie season.
The win, after the race had been red-flagged two laps from the end with oil on the track, went to Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com), his first this year and the second in his career. Third place went to Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda).
Two riders were celebrating at the end of the penultimate round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. The win went to Frenchman Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Honda) in front of his home crowd, while second place gave Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox) the title with one round remaining, giving Ducati its third championship in three seasons.
The European Superstock 600 Championship took on a new look at the top of the table after an exciting multi-rider battle for the win in the penultimate round. Danilo Petrucci’s (Yamaha Trasimeno) crash in the early laps and a ride-through penalty for a jump start inflicted on Vincent Lonbois (MTM Yamaha), who eventually finished ninth, hoisted Britain’s Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda) to the top of the table with a second place at the flag.
Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Trasimeno) also gained some points with his second successive podium finish, and the standings now see the top four separated by just 10 points, with one round remaining.
The win went to the young French rider Florian Marino (Race Junior Honda), who got the nod at the final chicane over his fellow countryman Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Yamaha), who actually crashed metres from the line.
Superbike Race 1 Results
1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF-R1 37:57.110 (160.392 km/h)
2. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R +0.181
3. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +5.009
4. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R +16.347
5. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR +22.622
6. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +24.948
7. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 +27.144
8. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R +27.578
9. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR +28.486
10. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R +28.716
11. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR +52.680
12. Baiocco M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R +1:01.372
13. Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R +1:05.123
14. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R +1:05.483
15. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 +1:05.672
16. Resch R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 +1:29.284
Superbike Race 2 Results
1. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 38:00.282 (160.169 km/h)
2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +1.480
3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR +6.024
4. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +18.135
5. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR +21.236
6. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 +23.647
7. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R +23.701
8. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K9 +24.838
9. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +31.455
10. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR +32.507
11. Nieto F. (ESP) Ducati 1098R +37.594
12. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR +44.727
13. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R +49.782
14. Baiocco M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R +50.345
15. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R +56.209
16. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R +58.796
Superbike Points (after 13 of 14 rounds)
1. Haga 436
2. Spies 426
3. Fabrizio 346
4. Biaggi 293
5. Rea 279
6. Haslam 241
7. Checa 200
8. Sykes 176
9. Byrne 166
10. Smrz 161
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