WSBK: Suzuki rider Laverty steals race one as Aprilia’s Guintoli takes race two

Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 23 February 2014 – The eni FIM Superbike World Championship had its first exciting race of the year today at Phillip Island, with Irishman Eugene Laverty scoring a sensational win aboard his GSX-R 1000, making it three in a row with the double he scored at Jerez last year in the last round. In his debut race with Voltcom Crescent Suzuki, Laverty achieved an historical maiden win for the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki Team. Laverty is also the first Suzuki rider to climb on the top step of the podium since the second race at Kyalami in 2010.

After a poor start of the race, which saw him crossing the line in seventh place at the end of lap 1, and an early battle first with Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team) and then with Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike), Laverty started his charge to the leaders thanks to an incredible race pace. Once he reached the front runners, the Irishman passed Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team), Marco Melandri and leader Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) to take first position on lap 17.

With Laverty pulling away in the late stages, Melandri got the better of team mate Sylvain Guintoli for second, whilst Giugliano settled for fourth after losing ground in the final laps. Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) edged Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) to take fifth place as reigning Champion and Baz’s team mate Tom Sykes had a difficult time, eventually ending up seventh ahead of Chaz Davies.

Eugene Laverty: “To win race 1 was a dream come true. I had told the boys in the garage that I would win before we reached it being 100 races without Suzuki on the top step but I didn’t think the run would stop so soon after we took the first win. Looking ahead, we have shown that we have the race pace and I think that we can have a very strong season. Thanks to my whole team, we have worked hard over the winter and I am looking forward to Aragon.”

EVO riders David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team), Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing Team) and substitute rider for injured Sylvain Barrier Glenn Allerton (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team) put up an exciting battle, with Spaniard David Salom to come out on top to claim 9th.

Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Alex Lowes, Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and Toni Elias (Red Devils Roma Aprilia) all crashed unhurt early on in the race.

Results: 1. Laverty (Suzuki) 22 Laps/97.790 km in 12:34’20.711 average 174,328 km/h; 2. Melandri (Aprilia) 2.959; 3. Guintoli (Aprilia) 3.034; 4. Giugliano (Ducati) 6.972; 5. Baz (Kawasaki) 11.132; 6. Rea (Honda) 11.718; 7. Sykes (Kawasaki) 15.612; 8. Davies (Ducati) 25.724; 9. Salom (Kawasaki) 37.407; 10. Canepa (Ducati) 37.468; 11. Allerton (BMW) 39.271; 12. Foret (Kawasaki) 45.212; 13. Corti (MV Agusta) 50.249; 14. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 1’17.134; 15. Morais (Kawasaki) 1’23.686; 16. Toth (BMW) 1’30.651; 17. Yates (EBR) 1 Lap; RT. Andreozzi (Kawasaki); RT. Haslam (Honda); RT. Lowes (Suzuki); RT. Elias (Aprilia).

Sylvain Guintoli wins race 2 and becomes Championship leader

Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) won the second race of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island, his career’s fifth in the series, in front of the 56,515 spectators attending the event. The Frenchman, now Championship leader after the opening round, was in first place on lap 15 when the race was red flagged, following the technical problem suffered by race 1 winner Eugene Laverty. The Irishman’s GSX-R 1000 engine blew as he was running second ahead of Kawasaki Racing Team pairing of Loriz Baz and reigning Champion Tom Sykes, who claimed the remaining podium positions.

Sylvain Guintoli: “I pushed a bit too much in Race 1, I started off really strong but towards the end I couldn’t keep the same pace. Track conditions were a lot different from the previous days, but we did a good job anyway. In the second race, I tried to save the tyre a bit and it worked out. Considering what happened to me during the weekend I can’t be but happy about this round as I finally managed to get back on the top step of the podium. I would like to thank the people who assisted me during my recovery, I feel quite tired now but there is a long break before the next race to be fully fit.”

Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team) was 4th followed by Pata Honda duo Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam, whilst Giugliano’s team mate Chaz Davies claimed seventh place ahead of Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) and Toni Elias (Red Devils Roma Aprilia). Works Aprilia rider Melandri was part of a thrilling ten way battle up front in the early stages, before going wide at Turn 4 during the eighth lap. Two laps later Brit Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) made the same mistake whilst trying to catch the leaders, eventually ending up thirteenth behind EVO riders David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team), tenth, Niccol? Canepa (Althea Racing Ducati), eleventh, and Fabien Foret (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki), twelfth.

Results: 1. Guintoli (Aprilia) 14 Laps/62.230 km in 15:02’05.586 average 173.124 kph; 2. Baz (Kawasaki) 0.283; 3. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1.103; 4. Giugliano (Ducati) 2.052; 5. Rea (Honda) 4.951; 6. Haslam (Honda) 5.673; 7. Davies (Ducati) 9.664; 8. Melandri (Aprilia) 10.574; 9. Elias (Aprilia) 11.682; 10. Salom (Kawasaki) 15.065; 11. Canepa (Ducati) 16.294; 12. Foret (Kawasaki) 16.919; 13. Lowes (Suzuki) 19.694; 14. Morais (Kawasaki) 27.266; 15. Allerton (BMW) 27.845; 16. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 29.431; 17. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 36.393; 18. Corti (MV Agusta) 37.018; 19. Toth (BMW) 54.093; 20. Yates (EBR) 1’13.385; RT. Laverty (Suzuki) 0.131.

Standings (Round 1 of 14): 1. Guintoli 41; 2. Baz 31; 3. Melandri 28; 4. Giugliano 26; 5. Laverty 25; 6. Sykes 25; 7. Rea 21; 8. Davies 17; 9. Salom 13; 10. Canepa 11; 11. Haslam 10; 12. Foret 8; 13. Elias 7; 14. Allerton 6; 15. Lowes 3; 16. Corti 3; 17. Morais 3; 18. Guarnoni 2. Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 45; 2. Kawasaki 31; 3. Suzuki 28; 4. Ducati 26; 5. Honda 21; 6. BMW 6; 7. MV Agusta 3

 

World Supersport

Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC – Yakhnich Motorsport) has written a new page in the history of motorcycle racing, winning the first world championship race for the iconic Italian brand MV Agusta since Giacomo Agostini’s victory at the Nurburgring in 1976. The race was red flagged during the eighth lap due to the technical problem suffered by Jack Kennedy (CIA Insurance Honda) and the oil laid on track by his CBR 600 RR. A bitter end of a difficult round for the Irishman, who took part in the race despite a fractured right talus bone.
A new 5-lap race startedafter the track cleaning procedures were completed, with Kenan Sofuoglu(Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) immediately taking the lead at turn 1. The three time World SupersportChampion, along with Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport), crashed during the second lap out of five, with only the Dutchman able to rejoin the race, although at the back of the field.

With two of the favourites out of the race, a spectacular 5-way battle for the win took place up to the finish line, with Jules Cluzel edging Kev Coghlan (DMC-Panavto Yamaha) and Raffaele De Rosa (Core PTR Honda), second and third respectively. Just outside the top-3 were Florian Marino (IntermotoPonyexpres Kawasaki), fourth, and Roberto Tamburini (San Carlo Puccetti Racing Kawasaki), fifth.

Results: 1. Cluzel (MV Agusta) 5 Laps/22.225 km in 14:08’54.503 average 167,530 km/h; 2. Coghlan (Yamaha) 0.224; 3. De Rosa (Honda) 0.317; 4. Marino (Kawasaki) 0.347; 5. Tamburini (Kawasaki) 0.822; 6. Wahr (Yamaha) 4.010; 7. Gowland (Triumph) 5.282; 8. Russo (Honda) 5.310; 9. Menghi (Yamaha) 5.517; 10. Gamarino (Kawasaki) 5.858; 11. Rolfo (Kawasaki) 6.491; 12. Cove?a (Kawasaki) 7.873; 13. Calero (Honda) 10.163; 14. Bussolotti (Honda) 12.406; 15. Rogers (Honda) 12.622; etc.

Standings (Round 1 of 13): 1. Cluzel 25; 2. Coghlan 20; 3. De Rosa 16; 4. Marino 13; 5. Tamburini 11; 6. Wahr 10; 7. Gowland 9; 8. Russo 8; 9. Menghi 7; 10. Gamarino 6; 11. Rolfo 5; 12. Cove?a 4; 13. Calero 3; 14. Bussolotti 2; 15. Rogers 1. Manufacturers: 1. MV Agusta 25; 2. Yamaha 20; 3. Honda 16; 4. Kawasaki 13; 5. Triumph 9.