PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA – Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) won the second race of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island on Sunday, his fifth career in the series, in front of 56,515 spectators.
The Frenchman, now Championship leader after the opening round, was in first place on lap 15 when the race was red flagged, following the technical problem suffered by race 1 winner Eugene Laverty.
The Irishman’s GSX-R 1000 engine blew as he was running second ahead of Kawasaki Racing Team pairing of Loris Baz and reigning Champion Tom Sykes, who claimed the remaining podium positions.
“I pushed a bit too much in Race 1,” Guintoli said. “I started off really strong but towards the end I couldn’t keep the same pace. Track conditions were a lot different from the previous days, but we did a good job anyway.
“In the second race, I tried to save the tire a bit and it worked out. Considering what happened to me during the weekend I can’t be but happy about this round as I finally managed to get back on the top step of the podium. I would like to thank the people who assisted me during my recovery, I feel quite tired now but there is a long break before the next race to be fully fit.”
Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team) was fourth followed by Pata Honda duo Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam, while Giugliano’s team mate Chaz Davies claimed seventh place ahead of Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) and Toni Elias (Red Devils Roma Aprilia).
Works Aprilia rider Melandri was part of a thrilling 10-way battle up front in the early stages, before going wide at Turn 4 during the eighth lap. Two laps later Brit Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) made the same mistake while trying to catch the leaders, eventually ending up 13th behind EVO riders David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team), 10th, Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing Ducati), 11th, and Fabien Foret (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki), 12th.
Irishman Laverty scored a sensational win in the first race aboard his GSX-R 1000, making it three in a row with the double he scored at Jerez last year in the last round. In his debut race with Voltcom Crescent Suzuki, Laverty achieved an historical maiden win for the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki Team. Laverty is also the first Suzuki rider to climb on the top step of the podium since the second race at Kyalami in 2010.
After a poor start of the race, which saw him crossing the line in seventh place at the end of lap 1, and an early battle first with Davies and then with Rea, Laverty started his charge to the leaders thanks to an incredible race pace. Once he reached the front runners, the Irishman passed Giugliano, Melandri and leader Guintoli to take first position on lap 17.
“To win race 1 was a dream come true,” Laverty said. “I had told the boys in the garage that I would win before we reached it being 100 races without Suzuki on the top step but I didn’t think the run would stop so soon after we took the first win.
“Looking ahead, we have shown that we have the race pace and I think that we can have a very strong season. Thanks to my whole team, we have worked hard over the winter and I am looking forward to Aragon.”
With Laverty pulling away in the late stages, Melandri got the better of team mate Guintoli for second, while Giugliano settled for fourth after losing ground in the final laps. Baz edged Rea to take fifth place as Sykes had a difficult time, eventually ending up seventh ahead of Davies.
EVO riders Salom, Canepa and substitute rider for injured Sylvain Barrier Glenn Allerton (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team) put up an exciting battle, with Spaniard Salom coming out on top to claim ninth.
Lowes, Haslam and Elias all crashed unhurt early on in the race.
Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC – Yakhnich Motorsport) wrote a new page in the history of motorcycle racing, winning the first world championship race for the iconic Italian brand MV Agusta since Giacomo Agostini’s victory at the Nurburgring in 1976.
The race was red flagged during the eighth lap due to the technical problem suffered by Jack Kennedy (CIA Insurance Honda) and the oil laid on track by his CBR 600 RR.
A new five-lap race started after the track cleaning procedures were completed, with Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) immediately taking the lead at turn 1. The three-time World Supersport Champion, along with Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport), crashed during the second lap, with only the Dutchman able to rejoin the race, although at the back of the field.
With two of the favourites out of the race, a spectacular five-way battle for the win took place up to the finish line, with Cluzel edging Kev Coghlan (DMC-Panavto Yamaha) and Raffaele De Rosa (Core PTR Honda), second and third respectively. Just outside the top-three were Florian Marino (IntermotoPonyexpres Kawasaki), fourth, and Roberto Tamburini (San Carlo Puccetti Racing Kawasaki), fifth.
Superbike Race 1 Results
1.Eugene Laverty (Suzuki) 22 Laps/97.790km (174.328km/h)
2. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +2.959
3. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) +3.034
4. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +6.972
5. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) +11.132
6. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +11.718
7. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +15.612
8. Chaz Davies (Ducati) +25.724
9. David Salom (Kawasaki) +37.407
10. Niccolo Canepa (Ducati) +37.468
11. Glenn Allerton (BMW) +39.271
12. Fabien Foret (Kawasaki) +45.212
13. Claudio Corti (MV Agusta) +50.249
14. David Guarnoni (Kawasaki) +1:17.134
15. Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki) +1:23.686
16. Imre Toth (BMW) +1:30.651
17. Aaron Yates (EBR) +1 Lap
RT. Alessandro Andreozzi (Kawasaki)
RT. Leon Haslam (Honda)
RT. Alex Lowes (Suzuki)
RT. Toni Elias (Aprilia)
Superbike Race 2 Results
1.Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) 14 Laps/62.230km (173.124km/h)
2. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) +0.283
3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +1.103
4. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) +2.052
5. Jonathan Rea (Honda) +4.951
6. Leon Haslam (Honda) +5.673
7. Chaz Davies (Ducati) +9.664
8. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) +10.574
9. Toni Elias (Aprilia) +11.682
10. David Salom (Kawasaki) +15.065
11. Niccolo Canepa (Ducati) +16.294
12. Fabien Foret (Kawasaki) +16.919
13. Alex Lowes (Suzuki) +19.694
14. Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki) +27.266
15. Glenn Allerton (BMW) +27.845
16. David Guarnoni (Kawasaki) +29.431
17. Alessandro Andreozzi (Kawasaki) +36.393
18. Claudio Corti (MV Agusta) +37.018
19. Imre Toth (BMW) +54.093
20. Aaron Yates (EBR) +1:13.385
RT. Eugene Laverty (Suzuki)
Superbike Standings (Round 1 of 14)
1.Sylvain Guintoli 41
2. Loris Baz 31
3. Marco Melandri 28
4. Davide Giugliano 26
5. Eugene Laverty 25
6. Tom Sykes 25
7. Jonathan Rea 21
8. Chaz Davies 17
9. David Salom 13
10. Niccolo Canepa 11
11. Leon Haslam 10
12. Fabien Foret 8
13. Toni Elias 7
14. Glenn Allerton 6
15. Alex Lowes 3
16. Claudio Corti 3
17. Sheridan Morais 3
18. Davide Guarnoni 2
–From the WSBK Press Office
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