Leon Haslam crushed the opposition today in WSBK race 1 at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, taking a spectacular win with an almost two second advantage over the rest of the field.
The Brit rider was faultless in conducting his race after taking the lead on lap 5.
Max Biaggi was second, but not showing the race pace he had during yesterday’s Superpole and taking too long trying to pass an excellent James Toseland on the Sterilgarda Yamaha who took the third spot on the podium.
Carlos Checa who was one of the riders tipped to be on today’s podium crashed out on lap 3 after taking the lead when he lost the front of his Ducati.
Poleman Cal Crutchlow would finish down in seventh.
A welcome sight was Troy Corser who took fourth place on his BMW machine.
The tough Austrialian managed to hold back a hard charging Noriyuki Haga, who had to settle for fifth.
Sixth went to a distant Jonathan Rea while Lorenzo Lanzi took eighth and Sylvain Guintoli took a good ninth spot after being forced to fifteenth after Leon Camier’s crash on lap eight and Jakub Smrz closed out the top ten.
Other crashers included Shane Byrne leaving no Althea Ducati riders on track and Michel Fabrizio who still laments front problems on his Xerox Ducati.
Valencia Race 1 Results:1 91 Haslam L.
(GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 36′47.
723 (150,206 kph)2 3 Biaggi M.
(ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F.
1.
7573 52 Toseland J.
(GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 3.
6214 11 Corser T.
(AUS) BMW S1000 RR 4.
2095 41 Haga N.
(JPN) Ducati 1098R 4.
3786 65 Rea J.
(GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 9.
8347 35 Crutchlow C.
(GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 10.
4668 57 Lanzi L.
(ITA) Ducati 1098R 16.
0809 50 Guintoli S.
(FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 18.
38210 96 Smrz J.
(CZE) Ducati 1098R 18.
58911 66 Sykes T.
(GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 22.
90312 111 Xaus R.
(ESP) BMW S1000 RR 25.
20313 76 Neukirchner M.
(GER) Honda CBR1000RR 25.
67614 99 Scassa L.
(ITA) Ducati 1098R 26.
60615 88 Pitt A.
(AUS) BMW S1000 RR 43.
79716 95 Hayden R.
(USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 48.
09417 15 Baiocco M.
(ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 48.
19018 17 Andrews S.
(GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 52.
863RET 31 Iannuzzo V.
(ITA) Honda CBR1000RRRET 2 Camier L.
(GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F.
RET 84 Fabrizio M.
(ITA) Ducati 1098RRET 67 Byrne S.
(GBR) Ducati 1098RRET 7 Checa C.
(ESP) Ducati 1098RRET 123 Resch R.
(AUT) BMW S1000 RR