If you’re wondering why everyone is afraid that Dorna will mess up World Superbikes and make it resemble the more boring MotoGP now that it is under their umbrella, you just have to check out the final round of the 2012 season at Magny Cours to see just how action packed and unpredictable this championship is.
Fourteen rounds and 27 races (race 1 at Monza was cancelled) saw nine different winners, from Max Biaggi (5), Carlos Checa (4), Tom Sykes (4), Marco Melandri (6), Sylvain Guintoli (3), Jonathan Rea (2), Loris Baz (1), Chaz Davies (1) to Eugene Laverty (1) and the title was decided in the final race.
Check out what some of today’s riders had to say about their races and the tricky weather conditions.
Sylvain Guintoli (1st and 3rd)“What a race! It’s been a great weekend for me, obviously with a wet race I knew I had a big chance, then got into my rhythm.
When Marco came past it woke me up and I found some extra pace and then managed to pass Tom.
I’m really happy to win in France after this crazy season with lots of ups and downs.
It’s been a fantastic Sunday with great results on my home track.
I really wanted this very much because at the end of a troubled ,I found a professional team who believed in me and with whom I got great results.
I’m glad I took the podium twice on the 1098 and this will go down in history because it is the last time that this model will be competing in the championship.
I’d like to dedicate today’s results to my group, technicians and all those who believed in me.
” Tom Sykes (3rd and 1st) “We were on pole, took a new circuit record, got a podium and then a win and pulled back 30 points on Max Biaggi.
Not easy against a rider of his level.
Yes, obviously there is a massive disappointment on one hand because we were only half a point from the world championship! But on the other hand, being realistic, we are very happy and we have – by far – overachieved on expectations this year.
We have been very strong and I think this weekend we have been particularly strong; partly because of this Joan Lascorz replica helmet I am wearing.
I have had massive support here from my family, friends and the Kawasaki fans so to sum up my year it has been fantastic.
I really appreciate that Kawasaki, Provec; all the team our sponsors, Motocard, Leo Vince and all of them have put us in the situation of fighting for the world championship.
Hopefully next year we can be very consistent from the start.
” Marco Melandri (2nd and DNF) “It felt good to finish a race on the podium again after the last two unfortunate race weekends.
My BMW S 1000 RR was working very well.
In the first couple of laps of race one, I was still struggling a bit with warming up the tyre, but once the tyre was working, I could go at quite a good pace.
Anyhow, it was a tough race and I did not want to overpace and risk too much.
Unfortunately the track dried up more and more which did not work in my favour.
When I finally passed Tom, the track was not really wet anymore, and in these conditions I had no chance to follow Sylvain, who really showed a strong performance today.
The track conditions were very difficult in race two.
I pushed 100 per cent but I could not change direction quickly.
When I crashed I must have hit a wet patch, and I lost the rear of my RR.
My back and my leg are very sore now.
Overall, this was a great season for us.
We can be proud of what we have achieved.
When we started the season we were quite far from the top guys.
We closed the gap quickly and fought with them for the rest of the season.
We won races, but we also had some bad luck and I made mistakes.
Everything was possible this year, and we can be happy.
I hope to start from that point next year.
A big ‘Thank You’ to all the team in Germany and at the track.
”Leon Haslam (5th and DNF)“In race one I had a few issues with the grip and the electronics, on top of that I made a few mistakes.
Finishing the race in fifth is a bit disappointing as I know that a podium would have been possible.
I had a good start in the second race but struggled getting into first gear in a few corners.
I also got a false neutral coming down the hill in the last stadium section.
I had to release the brakes not to hit Eugene Laverty and ran off the track.
I came back in eighth position and tried to follow the group around Max Biaggi when I hit a wet patch.
This put me down again.
I am a bit disappointed about finishing the season this way, and I am also disappointed for my crew and the team who did an outstanding job all season long.
Thanks to all of these guys.
Max Biaggi again was Mr Consistent, congratulations to him for winning another World Championship.
I feel a bit sorry for Tom who showed great racing this year.
Losing the World Championship by only half a point is hard to take.
”Ayrton Badovini (6th and 9th)“Today I finished both races in the top-ten, which isn’t something I am fully satisfied about but, considering how the weekend was shaping up, I’m fairly happy about today’s results.
Race 1 in the wet was very exciting especially on the last lap, while in the dry I had to ride defensively because we knew we were not at our best.
I want to thank the team for the support given to me despite an up and down season.
”Davide Giugliano (8th and 6th) “The first race was pretty unlucky for us.
We knew we had good pace and I think we had the potential to finish perhaps third but I had some small problems that prevented me from achieving that – first I had an issue with the gears and then I made a couple of small mistakes, meaning I lost a lot of time.
In the second race, to tell the truth, I had this dream of winning it.
Unfortunately I lost a lot of time when Melandri crashed in front of me and I knew it wouldn’t be possible.
But anyway I finished.
Claudio Corti (9th and 12th) “The first race went well, I was actually stronger when the track was wetter and I was sorry it stopped raining to be honest.
It was a very hard race and was very emotional for me to be competing in my first ever SBK race.
In Race 2 I made a great start and was able to get past a couple of people.
Then I made contact with Camier and went long.
Once I’d lost that time I was lapping on my own which was hard and with strange track conditions and a tyre that was dropping in performance towards the end.
All in all it’s been a pretty good weekend and I’m happy; I want to thank the team and the Pedercini family for having giving me this opportunity.
”Loris Baz (10th and DNF) “It was not the kind of home race weekend I wanted but we got a bit unlucky when we lost some track time early in practice.
I got sick on Saturday as well so it was not easy to ride but felt a bit better today.
I started off confident to have a good result in the wet race one but I just did not have the same feeling as I had in warm-up.
Had I not run-on I think I had the pace for about seventh or eighth.
Following Max in race two I just hit a slippery patch and had a very big highside crash.
I had a bad pain in my back and ribs but nothing was broken and then I developed a sore head.
We went to hospital for tests just to check but everything is OK.
We have some testing on the bike again soon so it is good to not have any injuries and although I am not 100% fit right now, I will be OK for testing which will really help our preparations for next year.
”Michel Fabrizio (12th and DNF)“This is surely not the way I wanted to end the season.
In Race 1 I had to stop at the end of lap three to change the tyre and I still finished the race, in the second one I crashed on a damp patch the same as at least other four riders did.
I now want to say goodbye to the team and say thank you for the opportunity I got this year.
”Jonathan Rea (13th and 2nd) I needed some wings in race one when I got caught out by the conditions but it was frustrating because my team gave me a great bike for the wet.
Everything was feeling good but I felt a bit like an amateur when I was in the gravel.
At the beginning of race two I was a bit wary of the conditions and although I was able to get to the front, Tom (Sykes) didn’t make any mistakes.
I’m really happy to be part of this championship and congratulations to Max on a great job.
At the end of a long season I want to thank the team for their continued hard work.
On certain days we’ve struggled but, on others we’ve capitalised on the strengths of the bike through the great work ethic we have as a team.
We’ll go away this winter and I’ll make sure I’m in the best condition possible for the 2013 season; I’m sure the team will do the same with the CBR.
Carlos Checa (DNF and 7th)“It was a strange weekend.
A pity for the crash in race 1 but conditions were difficult and the track was very slippery, these things happen.
Then in the second I didn’t have the same feelings that I’d had yesterday, the bike seemed different and was moving a lot more.
This made it hard and I couldn’t lap with the kind of times that I expected.
Anyway the season is over, it was long and we had highs and lows along the way.
I’m happy to close in fourth overall because considering the problems we’ve had I don’t think the final result is bad.
”Leon Camier (DNF and 10th)“I am really happy with our performance in wet conditions, but race one was neither wet, nor dry and that is the worst possible scenario.
All was going OK until I came out of turn 11 and was high-sided.
I was flipped into the air and came down heavily on my left arm and head and then the bike landed on top of me and I couldn’t move.
It seemed ages before it was removed and I was able to get up.
I felt pretty sore, but luckily I hadn’t broken anything, even though my left arm had taken a right old battering.
The FIXI Crescent Suzuki was in a bit of mess, but the boys did a great job to get it ready in time for race two and we lined up on the grid OK.
Right from the start, I felt that the bike wasn’t quite right – not surprising really after its big crash – and it was difficult to ride.
The electronics didn’t feel quite right and I didn’t get a great start, but I was determined to bring the bike home and that’s what I did.
Although the season didn’t end the way I hoped, the progress the team have made with the FIXI Crescent Suzuki makes me feel very optimistic about the future.
The bike has come on leaps-and-bounds since the beginning of the season and I’m already looking forward to my next time on it – once I’ve rested my left arm a bit!”Lorenzo Zanetti (DNF and 13th)I’m really sorry for what happened in race 1, but I’m not sure what caused the crash.
The front closed on me and I found myself in the gravel pit.
In race 2 I had a bad start and didn’t have a good feeling with the bike in the dry set-up.
I could have been a couple of places further up the field but my tires dropped off and I decided to take it easy.
I’ve finished my first season Superbikes with 68 points, not bad for a rookie.
Thanks to the team and the sponsors for everything they’ve done.
Hiroshi Aoyama (DNF and 14th)This was my last weekend with the team and I wanted to make two good races.
Unfortunately, I had some problems with the bike and the tyres, similar to the problems I’ve had all year.
The guys have worked hard to solve the problems and we’ve tried a lot of things.
It’s a pity that nothing really worked because it was a new challenge for me to come to Superbike and I was expecting a lot more.
But it’s been a good experience for me with this Honda team so I want to say thank you to the guys and the sponsors who have supported us.