Here are the highlights of round two (two races) for the FIM World Superbike Series at the Autodromo Enzo E Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy.
Race one begins the action, with a second race to follow immediately after. Carlos Checa of Spain is on pole.
At the start, Tom Sykes on the Kawasaki takes the lead into Tambarello for this 21 lap race. Sylvain Guintoli, and Max Biagi battle. But there are three bikes down in the second or third corner. Carlos Checa pursues Tom Sykes into Aqua Minerale. Sykes leads on his Kawasaki. Single file is the order as the bikes race through Rivazza. American John Hopkins is running well. Leon Haslam and Chaz Davis crashed. Haslam fell off the bike and collected Chaz Davis and Sylvain Quintolli. Sykes and Checa continue to pull away. Max Biagi remains third at the moment.
Leon Haslam is not running well. Eugene Laverty is chasing his team mate Max Biagi while Marco Melandri also goes off course on his BMW. Both BMW bikes are having issues. Haslam didn't have an issue, but Melandri missed the braking zone. Laverty makes a mistake as Jonathan Ray is moving up. Leon Haslam is right behind. The bikes sweep through Piratella corner. Meanwhile, it could have been Jakub Smrz who was also involved in the first wreck. Tom Sykes still leads. Jonathan Rey was passed by Eugene Laverty.
Sykes ran a 1:48.0 and Max Biagi is losing ground. Lorenzo Zanetti passed Eugene Laverty. Meanwhile, Spaniard, Joan Lascorz languishes at the back of the field. Lorenzo Zanetti is flying, trying to pass Jonathan Rey. It's still the Ducati and Kawasaki battling. Carlos Checa is back on pace setting a 1:47.9 (fastest lap). Tom Sykes is still leading though. Zanetti passed Jonathan Rey into Rivazza. Zanetti is now fifth. Jakob Smrz battles Michel Fabrizio.
John Hopkins is now in the points battling with Mark Atchison and Canadian rider Brett McCormick. Sykes and Checa are leaving Max Biagi in the dust. The race is over half finished. Marco Melandri passed Joan Lascorz. Melandri is a former MotoGP rider, making inroads into Superbike now. Max Biagi ran a 1:48.9 and the gap is 4.6 seconds from 1st to 3rd. Leon Haslam is now pressuring Biagi. Ten laps remain in race one. Haslam is now a second quicker than Biagi! He's catching Checa on lap times. Marco Melandri passed Joan Lascorz. Ten laps to go now.
Checa sweeps around Sykes. Haslam is two tenths slower than Biagi. Zanetti, Rey and Laverty are well behind the front running riders. Laverty and Rey are running together. It's the battle of the Irishmen. Honda vs. Aprillia. Checa sets another fast lap and has left Tom Sykes in the dust. Carlos Checa had a DNF in Phillipp Island, so, he'll gain points should he win this race.
Biagi is being hounded by Leon Haslam again. Haslam wants to pass Biagi, but, he'll take his time into Piratella. The two are headed towards the Variante Alta. Tom Sykes might be losing ground to the Biagi/Haslam battle. Haslam dove around Checa. Unlike Formula One, the bikes can make multiple moves through corners. Haslam was quicker through the current sector. Tom Sykes still leads Carlos Checa. Melandri has moved up as has Joan Lascorz. It's still Checa vs. Biagi (Aprilia vs. BMW). Sykes on the Kawasaki still leads.
Eugene Laverty passes another bike. Tom Sykes will need to negotiate a lapped rider (Argentinian Leandro Mercado). It's the last lap of race one. Carlos Checa takes another win for Ducati at Imola. Riders like Troy Bayliss, Carl Fogarty and others have also won in Imola for Ducati. Checa is the winner! Leon Haslam gets on the podium ahead of Max Biagi.
Race 1: #7 Carlos Checa ESP BMW
Race two is up next.
Tires are going to be a big issue in this race. The temperature is cooler than it was in race one. Max Biaggi is the championship leader as this race will start.
At the start, Carlos Checa and Tom Sykes got away well. But, Max Biaggi got the hole shot. Johnny Rey made a mistake as the bikes went through Piratella. Checa has to wrestle his bike. Zanetti is way down the order in 17th spot. A Suzuki could have run wide and off the road. There's dust everywhere in Tambarello. Davide Giugliano battles Carlos Checa. Into Rivazza, it's Biaggi vs. Checa again. Sykes runs fast lap at 1:47.9. Marco Melandri is hounded by Giugliano. John Hopkins meanwhile, is going backwards, having changed his rear tire to the hard compound.
Max Biaggi is closing on Checa. Haslam runs his personal best lap at 1:48.4. Johnny Rey passed the Suzuki of Leon Camier. Haslam sets another fast lap record. Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli on a Ducati is also up at the sharp end. The commentators have been mentioning his name quite frequently. John Hopkins and his Suzuki team mate Leon Camier run identical times. The top three are running nose-to-tail and are quicker than the top three, except for Leon Haslam. Haslam is coming. Laverty is chasing Melandri as well.
Leon Haslem is flying! He set another lap record as the race reached it's midway point. Bikes are starting to pair up. Joan Lascorz, Niccolo Canepa and others are coming closer to the lead pack. Tom Sykes sets fast lap at 1:47.5. Carlos Checa passes Max Biaggi. Biaggi flies by and then, Checa comes back! It's Haslem, Checa and Biaggi. More quick laps are being set down. Just eleven laps remain in the race.
Ten laps left now. The championship is wide open right now. Leon Haslam will once again try passing Biaggi. Joan Lascorz passed Leon Camier on his Suzuki. The Suzuki's seem to be slower than the other bikes in the field. Hiroshi Aoyama on the Honda #4 is out of the race. Carlos Checa is strong out of Tosa but can't pass the Kawasaki. Sykes runs a 1:48.7 and Checa, a 1:48 flat. Haslam passes Biaggi and will get on the podium in race two. Carlos Checa takes his Ducati past Tom Sykes and into the race lead.
Haslem is ready to pass Sykes. It's BMW vs. Kawasaki. He tries to pass and Sykes shuts the door. Checa runs another 48 flat. Sykes is still running a 1:48.8. Top speed from Sykes = 283 km/h or 177 miles an hour! Carlos Checa leads by 1.9 seconds. Sykes is ten kilometers an hour faster than Checa is. Four laps to go. Johnny Rey runs into Eugene Laverty's back wheel! He keeps himself righted on the bike! Yikes! Niccolo Canepa crashed his Ducati out of the race. It was a hard smash. But he'll be OK.
It's a battle for second between Leon Haslam and Max Biaggi. Checa looks as if he'll sail to another race win. Tommy Sykes has run a good race even though he'll come up second. Biaggi moves through Rivazza another time. One lap to go. Checa runs a 1:49.4. Biaggi and Haslam will need to push. But, they might not catch Checa. Keep pushing. Checa will win! He's done the double!
Race 2: #7 Carlos Checa ESP BMW
The next race is at the Assen circuit in Assen, Holland, coming up in three weeks time.
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