WSBK: Chaz Davies wins as Tom Sykes is the new leader
Chaz Davies wins as Tom Sykes is the new leader
Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) got back on the top step of the podium after winning the second race of the day, that was red-flagged on the nineteenth lap after wildcard Matej Smrz (Yamaha Motor Deutschland) suffered a high-side and landed on track next to his YZF-R1. The Welshman successfully defended the lead in the final laps in a three-way battle with second place Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) and team mate Marco Melandri. Davies was able to repeat exactly the same results scored last year in the two races, and achieved a long-awaited race win after the double victory at Aragon earlier in 2013.
Despite the absence of three top riders due to injuries sustained today - Loris Baz during the warm-up, Leon Camier and Jonathan Rea in first race - Race 2 was characterised by a fierce battle up front for the win. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) finished fourth and fifth respectively, after being very close to the front for most of the 18 laps completed. The two riders, though, could not manage to get in the mix for the top-3, as well as sixth place Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Team Aprilia), who lost a lot of ground in the closing stages.
Top-10 was completed by Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare), Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Aprilia) and Max Neukirchner (MR-Racing Ducati), with Badovini's team mate Carlos Checa in eleventh place.
Sykes and Guintoli are still separated by one point, but the factory Kawasaki rider is now the new leader in the standings, at the end of the tenth round of the season.
Laps 18 = 92,466 Km - Time Of Race 34'36.933 - Avg. 160,274 km/h
Pos
R1 R2 Tot Pos
Qualifying
Grid No. Rider Nat Team Bike LL Gap Fastest Lap Speed Speed
Ranking
Race Time
1 7 19 C. DAVIES GBR BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK BMW S1000 RR 18 1'54.703 274,8 2'12.663 273,4 16 25 221 5
2 12 58 E. LAVERTY IRL Aprilia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 18 0.132 1'54.853 278,4 2'16.409 277,6 1 20 247 4
3 2 33 M. MELANDRI ITA BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK BMW S1000 RR 18 0.366 1'54.846 278,4 2'09.616 276,2 20 16 257 3
4 3 66 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 18 1.189 1'55.069 277,6 2'10.136 274,8 25 13 287 1
5 8 50 S. GUINTOLI FRA Aprilia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 18 1.621 1'55.139 277,6 2'13.177 279,1 13 11 286 2
6 14 34 D. GIUGLIANO ITA Althea Racing Aprilia RSV4 Factory 18 3.233 1'55.057 277,6 2'18.775 276,2 11 10 121 10
7 1 86 A. BADOVINI ITA Team Ducati Alstare Ducati 1199 Panigale R 18 14.677 1'55.849 269,3 2'09.513 274,1 7 9 107 12
8 13 84 M.FABRIZIO ITA Red Devils Roma Aprilia RSV4 Factory 18 18.859 1'55.435 275,5 2'16.660 276,9 10 8 156 8
9 10 27 M.NEUKIRCHNER GER MR-Racing Ducati 1199 Panigale R 18 22.125 1'55.925 273,4 2'15.975 272,7 7 84 13
10 18 7 C. CHECA ESP Team Ducati Alstare Ducati 1199 Panigale R 18 23.828 1'56.209 271,4 1'56.451 268,0 6 6 80 14
| RIDER | MANUFACTURER | POINTS |
| TOM SYKES | KAWASAKI | 287 |
| SYLVAIN GUINTOLI | APRILIA | 286 |
| MARCO MELANDRI | BMW | 257 |
| EUGENE LAVERTY | APRILIA | 247 |
| CHAZ DAVIES | BMW | 221 |
| LORIS BAZ | KAWASAKI | 180 |
| JONATHAN REA | HONDA | 176 |
| MICHEL FABRIZIO | APRILIA | 156 |
| JULES CLUZEL | SUZUKI | 123 |
| DAVID GIUGLIANO | APRILIA | 121 |
Tom Sykes wins red-flagged first race
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) is the winner of the first eni FIM Superbike World Championship race at the Nurburgring. The race was red-flagged on the eighteenth lap as a result of two crashes that involved Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) and Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki), who both lost control of their bikes at Turn 9 on the oil left on track by Federico Sandi's Team Pedercini ZX-10R broken engine.
Once the flag came out, Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) was on the lead after a successful overtake at the first turn but, as the final results were based on the previous lap, Sykes was awarded with the victory, with Melandri's team mate Chaz Davies to complete the podium.
The three riders, along with Rea, rode together up front, but it was Sykes who led almost the entire race, after overtaking Melandri at the second turn during the opening lap.
Championship leader Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) holds now only a single-point advantage on Sykes after finishing the race in fourth place, ahead of Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia), Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Aprilia) and Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike). Factory Aprilia rider Eugene Laverty ended up 15th after crashing out of Turn 4 in the early stages of the race, and rejoining following a pit-stop. Home rider Max Neukirchner (MR-Racing Ducati) had to withdraw from the race due to a technical problem occurred on the fourth lap.
Jonathan Rea and Leon Camier were both flown by helicopter to the hospital. Rea was diagnosed with a broken left femur, while Camier was sent for precautionary measure due to an injury on the top of his neck.
