Hot damn! Race 1 at Donington Park was everything that any hot blooded racing fan could hope for and get.
If anyone was expecting to see Carlos Checa run away with it again will be slightly disappointed, but Marco Melandri’s tremendous and exciting fight for the win will certainly make up for it, and since we like to rub it in, a slap towards Max Biaggi’s behaviour yesterday.
Melandri not only won his first race in WSBK after just debuting a month ago on the Yamaha R1, battling it with several riders, especially with his old/new nemesis Max Biaggi.
Showing a suprisingly cool head (despite waking up this morning with a raging fever) he hunted down a shockingly fast and uncharacteristically consistent Jakub Smrz who was leading the race by 2.
4s.
Nothing was stopping the Italian rider as he began cutting into Smrz’s lead with just fives laps to go and on the penultimate lap swept past the Czech rider to cross under the chequered flag first.
Smrz held on to his second spot despite fastly fading tires and taking his best result ever.
Carlos Checa ended up third after getting caught up in the rampaging field during the first lap and falling back to 11th, but he pulled out all stops on his Ducati to overtake Leon Haslam (4th) on the final lap and grab a much deserved podium.
Jonathan Rea was fifth, ahead of Noriyuki Haga on the privateer Aprilia of Team Pata and after running as high as third probably started to fade after a fantastic race due to nagging arm problems.
Reigning world champion Max Biaggi finished in seventh, however his performance to say the least was erratic, almost running into other riders, over braking and going wide several times.
Evidently being the talk of the web over his handbag fight with Melandri, may have left some unpleasant taste in his mouth during race 1.
Aprilia Alitalia team mate Leon Camier took eighth after fighting for the lead while Tom Sykes who was looking for his first podium with the Kawasaki lowsided at the Esses with five laps to go.
Ninth went to Troy Corser and Joan Lascorz closing out the top ten finishers.
Eugene Laverty had another horrific looking crash after yesterday’s Superpole and Maxime Berger literally lost the rear tire of his Ducati, as it flew off at the exit of the Goddard, something we haven’t seen in years and what we won’t like to see again.
Some Supersonic mechanic’s head is going to be on the chopping block.
WSBK Donington Race 1 Results:01- Marco Melandri – Yamaha World Superbike Team – Yamaha YZF R1 – 23 laps in 34’33.
18902- Jakub Smrz – Team Effenbert Liberty Racing – Ducati 1198 – + 2.
45503- Carlos Checa – Althea Racing – Ducati 1198 – + 5.
83904- Leon Haslam – BMW Motorrad Motorsport – BMW S1000RR – + 6.
17605- Jonathan Rea – Castrol Honda – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 9.
03906- Noriyuki Haga – Pata Racing Team Aprilia – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 9.
21507- Max Biaggi – Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 9.
96008- Leon Camier – Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 14.
86009- Troy Corser – BMW Motorrad Motorsport – BMW S1000RR – + 14.
87710- Joan Lascorz – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R – + 16.
18211- Sylvain Guintoli – Team Effenbert Liberty Racing – Ducati 1198 – + 25.
82012- Ruben Xaus – Castrol Honda – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 28.
37813- Ayrton Badovini – BMW Motorrad Italia – BMW S1000RR – + 31.
86914- Roberto Rolfo – Team Pedercini – Kawasaki ZX-10R – + 40.
01515- Mark Aitchison – Team Pedercini – Kawasaki ZX-10R – + 1’00.
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