Yesterday we said that the World Superbike races would be interesting at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli and Race 1 proved us right, as it was hard fought thriller and once again tire choice and wear made the difference.
Max Biaggi took his second victory of the season – his first was at the season opener at Phillip Island – at his home circuit.
The Roman Emperor despite starting on the third row and in 10th and running wide several times in the first part of the race, managed to keep his cool and cross under the chequered flag ahead of other back starter Carlos Checa, who took second, ahead of his strong Althea Racing team mate Davide Giugliano,Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes was on pole position, but it was Jonathan Rea who took the lead at turn one, the Honda rider managed to keep the rest of the field at bay for several laps as the riders began jockeying for positions with passes and re-passes as two distinct groups formed in the first third of the race.
Rea lead the first group made up of Tom Sykes, Davide Giugliano and Leon Haslam, while the second group made up Ayrton Badovini, Marco Melandri, Max Biaggi, Carlos Checa and Eugene Laverty who exchanged positions several times, until Marco Melandri broke away on the fifth lap and began closing on Giugliano, while Checa ran off track in an attempted pass on Badovini giving Biaggi his spot.
In the front of the race, Rea suddenly found himself with a two second lead, as Tom Sykes who had been tailing him began battling with excessive tire wear as did Haslam and Melandri who in the meantime had joined the front runners.
Taking advantage of the tire situation was an aggressive Davide Giugliano who grabbed the lead of the race on the 17th lap as Rea became another victim of tire wear, with Biaggi and Checa also going quickly past the fading Honda rider.
For four entire laps Giugliano defended his postion against Biaggi, who studied his fellow countryman closely and nosed around him, but on the 22nd lap the Aprilia rider found the gap and pounced and grabbed the lead, with Checa also passing his young team mate, who began losing contact immediately.
Checa would try to find a gap in Biaggi’s defensive riding but couldn’t find a the tiniest space and had to be content with the second spot and giving Althea Racing something to smile about after yesterday’s disastrous Superpole strategy that had relegated him to 16th.
After fading to eighth, Tom Sykes managed to find some grip with his Kawasaki and he fought back to finish in fourth, ahead of a highly disappointed Rea.
With everyone concentrated on Biaggi’s and Checa, no one noticed that Chaz Davies had also charged through the field and he finish in sixth spot after starting from 21st on the grid, ahead of factory Aprilia rider Eugene Laverty.
Liberty Racing’s Sylvain Guintoli and Jakub Smrz were eighth and ninth respectively, while Leon Camier closed out the top ten and ahead of Ayrton Badovini who was another rider who faded early in the race.
If Rea and Sykes were disappointed with their final results, the BMW factory riders were devasted.
Marco Melandri had to retire with just three laps left in the race after fading from a hard battled fourth to a lowly 17th, while Leon Haslam managed a 12th spot having run as high as second.
WSBK Misano Race 1 results:1 M.
BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 24 1′36.
3882 C.
CHECA ESP Althea Racing Ducati 1098R 24 0.
3053 D.
GIUGLIANO ITA Althea Racing Ducati 1098R 24 4.
5034 T.
SYKES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 24 8.
8585 J.
REA GBR Honda World Superbike Team Honda CBR1000RR 24 11.
6276 C.
DAVIES GBR ParkinGO MTC Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 24 12.
2587 E.
LAVERTY IRL Aprilia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 24 12.
5518 S.
GUINTOLI FRA Team Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R 24 13.
5619 J.
SMRZ CZE Liberty Racing Team Effenbert Ducati 1098R 24 17.
01410 L.
CAMIER GBR FIXI Crescent Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 24 18.
36111 A.
BADOVINI ITA BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet BMW S1000 RR 24 20.
02912 L.
HASLAM GBR BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 24 22.
08213 M.
BERGER FRA Team Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R 24 22.
96614 M.
FABRIZIO ITA BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet BMW S1000 RR 24 27.
01415 M.
BAIOCCO ITA Barni Racing Team Italia Ducati 1098R 24 31.
13316 H.
AOYAMA JPN Honda World Superbike Team Honda CBR1000RR 24 31.
71917 J.
HOPKINS USA FIXI Crescent Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000 24 31.
90218 N.
CANEPA ITA Red Devils Roma Ducati 1098R 24 43.
770 119 L.
MERCADO ARG Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 24 55.
071 120 F.
SANDI ITA Grillini Progea Superbike Team BMW S1000 RR 18 6 LapsNot ClassifiedRET M.
MELANDRI ITA BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 21 3 LapsRET L.
BAZ FRA Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 13 11 LapsRET D.
SALOM ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 12 12 LapsRET L.
ZANETTI ITA PATA Racing Team Ducati 1098R 6 18 Laps
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