Only in World Superbikes can you find a three way battle on the final lap without knowing who will take the victory.
Today’s race 1 at Monza, offered an incredbile and superb example of very tight exciting motorcycle race that saw Marco Melandri take his first victory of the 2013 season in a last lap, in a neck to neck to the wire battle with Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty.
The BMW Goldbet rider won with a just a 0.
085s margin over the Kawasaki rider and just a tenth of a second from the Aprilia rider.
Tom Sykes was the polesitter but Eugene Laverty got a better drive into the first variante with Jonathan Rea, Sykes, Melandri and Guintoli chasing after him, but in lap 2 Rea hit a neutral and lost four spots falling from second to six in just one swoop, and his podium chances were already finished.
Rea ended up battling with a two rider group made up of Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies, but to avoid rear ending Giugliano he rode off track and returned without conceding the position, and the strict Monza race direction later punished him with a two position drop for cutting the chicane.
Suzuki’s Jules Cluzel got it worse, as he was punished with a ride through for not following the proper re-entry at the first variante Up front the race was heating up between Laverty, Melandri, Sykes and Guintoli, with hard breaking and using drafts and slipstreams which Sykes paid for at the Roggia when he ran off track during the fourth lap.
For the next four laps the positions seemed frozen until Sylvain Guintoli made his move on the 8th lap, first passing Melandri at the Roggia and then his team mate at the Parabolica that put him at the lead.
One lap later Melandri would grab second place from Laverty, always at the Roggia.
Sykes was back in the battle as he grabbed the third spot from Laverty who immediately began to fade and on the 11th of the 18 laps Melandri attacked Guintoli in his favorite spot, the Roggia and tried to break away with two very fast laps, but wasn’t able to escape as French and British rider re-caught him and were back all over his tail.
With just four laps to go Guintoli regrabbed the lead bringing with him the Kawasaki rider, who would then thank Guintoli by taking the lead at the Roggia.
Melandri would pass Guintoli just a few corners later as Laverty suddently recovered and quickly disposed of his team mate and from that moment on the French rider would no longer be one of the podium contenders, as he faded immediately.
With just two laps remaing Laverty would take the second spot with a stunning pass at the Lesmo 1 and was all over Sykes’ Kawasaki and at the Parabolic he would take the lead as the three began to fan out, as the last exciting lap came up, with Melandri at the end of the straight passing the Brit.
At the Roggia, Melandri took the lead from Laverty who responded with a pass at the Ascari and at the Parabolica, the BMW rider dived back in as as they speeded towards the finish line with the power of their four cylinders and it would be Melandri, Sykes and Laverty.
Chaz Davies finished a lonely fourth the sole survior of previous battles as Rea ended up 7th and Giugliano ended up in a lowly 10th place after he too ran off track.
Following Davies were Michel Fabrizio and Loris Baz, Rea and Leon Camier.
2013 WSBK Monza Race 1 Results:1.
Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 30′54.
9252.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 30′55.
0103.
Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 30′55.
0324.
Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 30′56.
7695.
Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 31′02.
5546.
Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 31′03.
3327.
Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 31′10.
4808.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) Honda CBR1000RR 31′11.
3909.
Leon Camier (Fixi Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 31′11.
59310.
Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 31′21.
74511.
Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 31′33.
83312.
Max Neukirchner (MR-Racing) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 31′33.
87613.
Fabrizio Lai (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 31′47.
71314.
Kosuke Akiyoshi (Pata Honda World Superbike) Honda CBR1000RR 31′50.
81415.
Federico Sandi (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 31′50.
93116.
Mark Aitchison (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 31′51.
75217.
Jules Cluzel (Fixi Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 31′54.
470RT.
Vittorio Iannuzzo (Grillini Dentalmatic SBK) BMW S1000 RR 14′33.
976