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This article comes from AsphaltandRubber.com
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There’s a lot of talk this year about how WSBK will be more entertaining than MotoGP, and while we here at A&R do love us some MotoGP, one thing that WSBK will always have that’s better is TWO races on Sunday. Just like Race 1, Race 2 was action packed, and saw some familiar names taking shots at each other on the tarmac. Click ahead for spoilers and a full breakdown of Race 2 at Phillip Island.
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Ben Spies wasn’t about to let down the spectators in Australia twice in-a-row. Getting a crap start, Spies was edged out by a Max Biaggi into turn one. However, anyone expecting Spies to go easy, weight, and setup his opponent before attacking, we were looking at the wrong guy. Nobody goes around the outside at turn 2, especially not around a rider like Max Biaggi - nobody that is until Ben Spies. The rookie went the long way around the Roman Emperor, and made it stick, taking the lead.*Max would also see Noriyuki Haga pass him as well in lap 2, as the Japanese rider dispatched no less than 10 other riders to get behind Biaggi before finally passing him.
With Biaggi losing ground in third place, Haga and spies spent the next 10 laps making moves and passes that dazzled the crowd, and with just three laps to go Spies grabbed the lead back from the then leading Haga, and then pulled away to clinch his first WSBK race win.
The battle for third proved to be exciting as well, with Max Biaggi, Regis Laconi, Leon Haslam and Michel Fabrizio all within a second of each other going into the last lap. The position of third place changed hands like a juggler’s balls until the pack came screaming into the penultimate turn. Max Biaggi found himself with nowhere to go after a bold pass backfired and had to make a turf excursion, much to the delight of the Aussie spectators. Biaggi would finish the race in 15th place.
Leon Haslam reaped the benefits of the carnage to take third place and his first World Superbike podium in what is also his debut weekend.
The Alstare Suzukis of Neukirchner and Kagayama that took second and third in race one were well off the pace in the second race, finishing 6th and 8th. Also suffering in race 2 were BMW’s Troy Corser in 22nd, and Sterilgarda Ducati’s Shakey Byrne, who slid off his 1098R at low speed in the turn 4 hairpin and was unable to rejoin.
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Race 2 Results from the 2009 Phillip Island World Superbikes Round:
Pos. No. Rider Country Bike Time/diff 1 19 B. Spies USA Yamaha YZF R1 34′20.457 2 41 N. Haga JPN Ducati 1098R 1.286 3 91 L. Haslam GBR Honda CBR1000RR 4.213 4 55 R. Laconi FRA Ducati 1098 RS 09 4.490 5 84 M. Fabrizio ITA Ducati 1098R 6.045 6 76 M. Neukirchner GER Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 9.947 7 96 J. Smrz CZE Ducati 1098R 10.174 8 71 Y. Kagayama JPN Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 12.100 9 65 J. Rea GBR Honda CBR1000RR 12.742 10 66 T. Sykes GBR Yamaha YZF R1 20.061 11 111 R. Xaus ESP BMW S1000 RR 24.854 12 56 S. Nakano JPN Aprilia RSV4 25.192 13 7 C. Checa ESP Honda CBR1000RR 27.162 14 33 T. Hill GBR Honda CBR1000RR 29.737 15 3 M. Biaggi ITA Aprilia RSV4 30.036 16 44 R. Rolfo ITA Honda CBR1000RR 38.458 17 100 M. Tamada JPN Kawasaki ZX 10R 44.453 18 23 B. Parkes AUS Kawasaki ZX 10R 45.486 19 24 B. Roberts AUS Ducati 1098R 46.198 20 99 L. Scassa ITA Kawasaki ZX 10R 57.921 21 31 K. Muggeridge AUS Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 57.989 22 11 T. Corser AUS BMW S1000 RR 1′00.093 23 9 R. Kiyonari JPN Honda CBR1000RR 1′07.820 24 15 M. Baiocco ITA Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′21.224 25 25 D. Salom ESP Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′21.276 RET 67 S. Byrne GBR Ducati 1098R * RET 77 V. Iannuzzo ITA Honda CBR1000RR
Visit Asphalt & Rubber for more articles like this one
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*
This article comes from AsphaltandRubber.com
*
*
*
There’s a lot of talk this year about how WSBK will be more entertaining than MotoGP, and while we here at A&R do love us some MotoGP, one thing that WSBK will always have that’s better is TWO races on Sunday. Just like Race 1, Race 2 was action packed, and saw some familiar names taking shots at each other on the tarmac. Click ahead for spoilers and a full breakdown of Race 2 at Phillip Island.
*
Ben Spies wasn’t about to let down the spectators in Australia twice in-a-row. Getting a crap start, Spies was edged out by a Max Biaggi into turn one. However, anyone expecting Spies to go easy, weight, and setup his opponent before attacking, we were looking at the wrong guy. Nobody goes around the outside at turn 2, especially not around a rider like Max Biaggi - nobody that is until Ben Spies. The rookie went the long way around the Roman Emperor, and made it stick, taking the lead.*Max would also see Noriyuki Haga pass him as well in lap 2, as the Japanese rider dispatched no less than 10 other riders to get behind Biaggi before finally passing him.
With Biaggi losing ground in third place, Haga and spies spent the next 10 laps making moves and passes that dazzled the crowd, and with just three laps to go Spies grabbed the lead back from the then leading Haga, and then pulled away to clinch his first WSBK race win.
The battle for third proved to be exciting as well, with Max Biaggi, Regis Laconi, Leon Haslam and Michel Fabrizio all within a second of each other going into the last lap. The position of third place changed hands like a juggler’s balls until the pack came screaming into the penultimate turn. Max Biaggi found himself with nowhere to go after a bold pass backfired and had to make a turf excursion, much to the delight of the Aussie spectators. Biaggi would finish the race in 15th place.
Leon Haslam reaped the benefits of the carnage to take third place and his first World Superbike podium in what is also his debut weekend.
The Alstare Suzukis of Neukirchner and Kagayama that took second and third in race one were well off the pace in the second race, finishing 6th and 8th. Also suffering in race 2 were BMW’s Troy Corser in 22nd, and Sterilgarda Ducati’s Shakey Byrne, who slid off his 1098R at low speed in the turn 4 hairpin and was unable to rejoin.
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Race 2 Results from the 2009 Phillip Island World Superbikes Round:
Pos. No. Rider Country Bike Time/diff 1 19 B. Spies USA Yamaha YZF R1 34′20.457 2 41 N. Haga JPN Ducati 1098R 1.286 3 91 L. Haslam GBR Honda CBR1000RR 4.213 4 55 R. Laconi FRA Ducati 1098 RS 09 4.490 5 84 M. Fabrizio ITA Ducati 1098R 6.045 6 76 M. Neukirchner GER Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 9.947 7 96 J. Smrz CZE Ducati 1098R 10.174 8 71 Y. Kagayama JPN Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 12.100 9 65 J. Rea GBR Honda CBR1000RR 12.742 10 66 T. Sykes GBR Yamaha YZF R1 20.061 11 111 R. Xaus ESP BMW S1000 RR 24.854 12 56 S. Nakano JPN Aprilia RSV4 25.192 13 7 C. Checa ESP Honda CBR1000RR 27.162 14 33 T. Hill GBR Honda CBR1000RR 29.737 15 3 M. Biaggi ITA Aprilia RSV4 30.036 16 44 R. Rolfo ITA Honda CBR1000RR 38.458 17 100 M. Tamada JPN Kawasaki ZX 10R 44.453 18 23 B. Parkes AUS Kawasaki ZX 10R 45.486 19 24 B. Roberts AUS Ducati 1098R 46.198 20 99 L. Scassa ITA Kawasaki ZX 10R 57.921 21 31 K. Muggeridge AUS Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 57.989 22 11 T. Corser AUS BMW S1000 RR 1′00.093 23 9 R. Kiyonari JPN Honda CBR1000RR 1′07.820 24 15 M. Baiocco ITA Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′21.224 25 25 D. Salom ESP Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′21.276 RET 67 S. Byrne GBR Ducati 1098R * RET 77 V. Iannuzzo ITA Honda CBR1000RR
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