Sepang in Malaysia, hosts World Superbike for just the third time. New pavement has been laid down at Sepang. No race here, has been won by a margin of more than a second. Herman Tilke designed this track, and Jarno Safelli, modified it. It is 5.5 kilometers in length, (3.44 miles) in length. The straightaways are 850 meters and 920 meters long. Turn 15, has been modified, for this year. We look at, the landmark, here at Sepang, which is shaped like the hibiscus flower, the national flower, of Malaysia. Weather conditions right now, see an ambient temperature of 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) and a track temperature, of 51 degrees Celsius (123 degrees Fahrenheit). So, it's a hot one, in the tropical climate, of Malaysia, today!
It is hot, and there's no wind. So, the rider's will be in for a test, today, and tomorrow, in both World Superbike races. This is the sixth of thirteen rounds in the championship. So, we are quickly approaching the halfway mark in the season. That comes up, after the first race, at Donington Park, in England. Now, a bit of a spoiler alert. Donington action, has taken place. But, never fear, as yours truly, will have race reports, from the next race. For now, we focus on Malaysia. Tom Sykes has taken pole, but Jonathan Rea, has won 19 races with Kawasaki, and he has won 91% of the races. He's got a brand new contract, with Kawasaki, and will race in WSBK with them, for the next two seasons.
Rain will come, shortly before race one gets underway. Jonathan Rea is on his third engine. He starts third. Chaz Davies is fastest of the Ducati's, and he won here in Malaysia, last year. Ducati has won at all the Malaysian tracks WSBK has visited, including, here at Sepang. Nicky Hayden, has used four engines in his Honda so far this year. You can toggle between engines you have already run with during the season, if those engines are still in working order. If you lose a motor, heaven forbid, you will have to change the engine allocation, as a team. Hayden is flying, and rolls off the grid, fourth, for race one. Hayden knows this track, because he ran here 13 times in MotoGP.
Alex Lowes, is the sole Yamaha in the races this weekend, with Sylvain Guintoli, still recovering from his injuries. Alex Lowes has lost two motors from his allocation, due to issues at the beginning of the season, that we saw in Australia, and Thailand. Lowes is on the second row. They need race pace. We may see smoke from the tailpipes of the bikes during the race, because the oil will be moving around, inside the engine, due to the high speeds and stress on these monstrous 1000cc motors. The crank cases can get pressurized by the compression on this circuit. The pressure will squeeze the piston rings, and thus, the motor oil will chuck out of the bike, creating smoke.
Ducati, with their engine upgrades, changed the character of the motor, and thus it helped them try to maintain pace with the Kawasaki's. Tom Sykes is onto his fourth engine of the season, and has withdrawn the second motor, from his allocation. Sykes takes yet another Super Pole. He is 8/10ths faster than Alex Lowes. Jonathan Rea, had an issue with wear on his qualifying tires. Rea is still on the front row. So, he can go for a win. The only two riders to take pole in WSBK at Sepang, have been Sylvain Guintoli (again, recovering from his injuries at Imola), and Tom Sykes. No rider has won a race from pole, here at Sepang. Less than a second has always separated bikes here at Sepang.
In 2014, it was the Aprilia team with Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli, and Rea and Sykes on the Kawasaki's, last year. Pit lane is open. Five minutes for the riders to get out on their sighting lap, go around the speedway, come back to the grid, and form up for the start. Markus Reiterberger for BMW starts sixth. Keep in mind, he is the reigning IDM German Superbike champion. Behind him, will be Aprilia's Lorenzo Savadori. The Ducati's are improving. Chaz Davies has been the strongest Ducati rider this season. Now, it is up to Davide Giugliano and Xavi Fores to start turning up the wick and getting the other Ducati's into contention for podium finishes. Fores had a great run at Aragon in Spain. But, he must show he can race with Davies, and with the green machines from Kawasaki.
Amazingly, Aprilia, who Lorenzo Savadori races for, have had more podiums here at Sepang than any other manufacturer in the field. Six, to be exact, over the past couple years. Ducati may have a chance to take the championship this year. At this stage, though, Davies is 35 points behind Jonathan Rea. However, he could lead the championship, by the end of this weekend, if everything works out. Tom Sykes needs to rebound and add to the win he had in Thailand, trying to beat his team mate, and also, to beat Chaz Davies. Alex Lowes is in the middle of the front row, splitting the Kawasaki's. Alex Lowes has his second front row start this year.
Here this weekend, to help the Crescent Yamaha team, Yamaha has a few representatives, from the factory MotoGP effort for Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, who have been dominant as of late in MotoGP, as you've read about, on 2 Wheelin'. It is a big help that Alex Lowes has his front row start. We have a brand new, repaved track surface here at Sepang, even though the layout has not changed since the track was built in 1998 and opened the following year, in 1999. Several corners on the speedway have also been re-profiled. Turn 15 has been changed entirely. It is the only off camber corner on this track.
Another Tissot watch, for Tom Sykes. He's got quite the collection, and there aren't enough time zones on planet earth, to set all of them for. This is Sykes' fourth pole of the year, and 34th of his career. Markus Reiterberger rolls off sixth. Anthony West, who has raced in Moto2 and World Supersport, he is in this race, starting 11th. Chaz Davies receives another best lap award, from Imola, last time out. Aruba Ducati have posted fastest lap in seven of the ten races we've run so far this year. Pretty incredible. The Kawasaki has more speed. But the Ducati, remains the best overall package for a motorcycle, in a World Superbike race.
Lorenzo Savadori on the Aprilia, starts seventh. Jordi Torres, starts eighth on the second of the Althea BMW S1000RR's. Torres was on the podium here last year, when he rode for Aprilia, and the races were run in August, rather than May. The new asphalt is abrasive, and the riders will have to manage the tires, and the performance of the Pirelli's may drop. If someone pushes too hard, they'll fall back. This track actually might have more grip in the wet than it does in dry conditions, as we see Davide Giugliano will roll off ninth on the Ducati. Michael van der Mark on the sister factory Honda, rolls off in tenth place.
Again, Anthony West, is making his WSBK debut in this race on the #13 Pedercini Racing Kawasaki ZX10R. Saeed al Sulaiti is still racing for Pedercini. But, remember, that his team mate, Sylvain Barrier, was hurt, and fractured his wrist in a high side incident at Motorland Aragon. Lucas Mahias was brought in as a replacement, and he was hurt, in another crash at Imola. So, Anthony West, is replacing a replacement, as it were, and becomes the third rider, for Pedercini, in WSBK this year. Leon Camier is twelfth, and he came through Super Pole, but was caught out in qualifying after the rain stopped. Camier moved through to Super Pole 2. Alex de Angelis is 13th. Josh Brookes rolls off in 14th place.
Recall that Milwaukee BMW did have a traction control problem at Imola, and that's what pitched Karel Abraham, (Brookes' team mate), off the motorcycle, in one of the races. Brookes is coming to grips with traction control, as that is not allowed in the British Superbike Championship, where he raced before, winning the title in the finale at Brands Hatch, last year. Xavi Fores is 15th. He's come up through the ranks racing in Italy and Spain, as well as in the IDM series in Germany, where Markus Reiterberger also cut his teeth. Karel Abraham rolls off 16th.
With respect to tires, Nicky Hayden goes with the A spec Pirelli rear tire. Davide Giugliano is the only other rider using the softest tire. Most of the field goes for B spec, slightly harder, tires, on both ends. In 17th spot, is Italian Luca Scassa. This is another situation, of a replacement rider, replacing another replacement rider. For VFT Racing, we had Fabio Menghi originally, who was hurt, and then, replaced by Matteo Baiocco. But, Matteo Baiocco races in the CIV Italian Superbike Championship, and they race at Vallelunga in Italy, on this same weekend. So, hence, Luca Scassa was called up and asked, "can you race in Malaysia this weekend?" The answer is, yes.
Scassa will race here, and next time out, at Donington Park. Menghi, should be healed up enough, to race, for the first time this season, at Misano Adriatico, in Italy. Josh Hook is starting 18th for Grillini. Sykes has pole for this race. But, the pole man has not won here in Malaysia. Gianluca Vizziello starts caboose on the field in 23rd spot. The bikes are on their warmup lap. We go through some quick race facts. The first race for WSBK in Malaysia, was in 1990, at the Shah Alam circuit. Kawasaki has the most podiums here at Sepang, with five, followed by Aprilia with four, and Ducati, with two. We have raced here in Malaysia at three circuits. Shah Alam and Sepang, being two. The series has also raced in Thailand, and in Indonesia.
Five manufacturers will start on the first two rows. Looking at the weather conditions again before we race. 32 degrees Celsius air temp (89 Fahrenheit) and 47 degrees Celsius track temp (116 Fahrenheit). It's not uncommon to see incidents at the starts of these races. In 2014, there was a big wreck between Loris Baz, Tom Sykes, and Sam Lowes. Last year, Max Biaggi collided with Sylvain Guintoli at the the start of race two. The curb has been lowered in turn nine by 70 centimeters. Again, turn 15 has also seen a dramatic change. Motorcycle racers don't like off camber corners, but they are surely a challenge.
What will the weather do? 2/3rds distance, is the end of lap ten. Tom Sykes aims for his 20th win from pole. Jonathan Rea also wants his 20th win for Kawasaki. Red lights on... red lights on... red lights, out! Here we go! Race one in Malaysia for World Superbike, launches! Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes both get great starts! 16 laps make up the distance of this race. Into turn one for the first time, and it's Alex Lowes taking the lead, as both Ducati's also have fantastic starts! Alex Lowes leads with Jonathan Rea second, and Tom Sykes, third. Davide Giugliano makes an early move on Markus Reiterberger, who stands the BMW up and loses some spots. Jonathan Rea runs wide. He makes a mistake out of turn four.
Chaz Davies has gained a spot, at the start as well. Michael van der Mark, has passed Nicky Hayden. Hayden tries to move on van der Mark, but it doesn't work. How long will Lowes on the Yamaha stay in front? Not for too long, I'm afraid. Nicky Hayden knows this track well as the riders dive for turn fifteen for the first time. Sykes passes Lowes for the lead. Jonathan Rea tries, but thinks better of it. Alex Lowes runs wide and is now fourth, letting Sykes and Davies go by. Lowes has to stay calm. The Yamaha, has a horsepower deficit, compared to the Kawasaki's and Ducati's. Davide Giugliano has jumped up from ninth, to fifth, in the early going, in race one.
Sykes is very much trying to put some daylight between himself and Rea at the front. Lowes is the meat in a Ducati sandwich, but, he isn't allowing Chaz Davies to get away. Nicky Hayden begins pressuring Davide Giugliano. Meanwhile, Jordi Torres runs eighth, Anthony West has jumped two spots from 11th to ninth. Markus Reiterberger completes the top ten, with Luca Savadori, Alex de Angelis, Josh Brookes, Xavi Fores, and Leon Camier, completing the top fifteen. Nicky Hayden makes an aggressive pass on Davide Giugliano and takes the position away. Tom Sykes sets fastest lap of this race so far at 2:03.6. 2:03.637 is the official time.
It is a new lap record. Compare Sykes' 2:03.637 to his old record, set last year, at 2:03.654. So the new record is 17 hundredths of a second faster. Rea and Sykes both use the B spec tires, as Chaz Davies has a slightly harder front tire. Alex Lowes has to stay with Chaz Davies and keep himself ahead of the Honda of Nicky Hayden. Sykes leads Rea now by 1.8 seconds. It's a scrap between the Althea BMW's for eighth place, and Jordi Torres is ahead of Markus Reiterberger at this moment. Anthony "Ant" West follows on the Pedercini Kawasaki. West is making his debut in World Superbike. But, he has plenty of experience in MotoGP, Moto2, and other championships.
This is the eighth different motorcycle world championship series, that Anthony West, has raced in. He's run 125s, 250s, 500s, MotoGP, World Supersport, World Endurance, and now, World Superbike. West has also run both MotoGP formulas with 800cc and 1000cc engines. Can Michael van der Mark close the gap to Davide Giugliano? Nicky Hayden has passed Giugliano. The heat and humidity in Malaysia, is something surely very difficult for anyone, including the riders, to deal with. Davies, Lowes, and Hayden, are all in this train of bikes, being led by the two factory Kawasaki's.
Can Alex Lowes and Nicky Hayden start a draft, and press their way towards Rea and Davies? The lap times have fallen by two seconds, down into the 2:05 bracket. Nicky Hayden is running well here and knows the Sepang circuit from racing in MotoGP for so many years. They visit here, in October, a race you will hear about, on 2 Wheelin'. The riders dip through turn five and have to change direction quickly in that little right/left flick. Lowes runs wide. Will Tom Sykes whistle off into the distance? We're waiting to find out. Rea and Davies seem to be exchanging personal best laps, tossing best lap time around like a volleyball. Rea can defend from Davies, but maybe his Kawasaki is not at the optimum performance level, to be able to pour on the steam and run after his team mate.
Sykes runs wide into turn 15. He leads by a margin of 2.8 seconds. Jonathan Rea has to be more concerned with Chaz Davies, than he does with his team mate. Oh dear! As we were watching a replay of the race start, it's game over, for Yamaha! Alex Lowes, has crashed out of WSBK race one here at Sepang! Correction. It isn't game over, because he's rejoined the fight. Lowes is now behind the battle between the Althea BMW's. Sykes now has 3.5 seconds over Rea. Rea and Davies continue their fight for second. As for the BMW's, Reiterberger moves ahead of Torres. We will have to watch Tom Sykes, around lap 11, with five left. It is in the last 1/3rd of a race where the tires drop off.
Jonathan Rea wants his 20th Kawasaki victory. A 3.3 second lead for Sykes. But, he lost a quarter of a second to Rea on the last lap. Game over for Pawel Szkopek as he crashes in turn nine, the uphill hairpin. We are going to be at halfway next lap around, as Markus Reiterberger has now passed Michael van der Mark on the second of the factory Honda's. They are two seconds behind Davide Giugliano, who in turn, is two seconds in arrears of Nicky Hayden. Hayden could get a podium still. He was on the podium at Assen in Holland, last month of course. At the end of lap eight, we'll be halfway home. van der Mark and Jordi Torres will scrap for seventh place. Alex Lowes is ninth after his earlier fall.
Luca Savadori runs tenth. In 11th, still, is Anthony West. Josh Brookes is 12th, Alex de Angelis 13th, Xavi Fores, 14th, and Karel Abraham, 15th. Alex de Angelis is now sinking like a stone, as Giugliano catches up to Hayden. Hayden's soft front tire, might be fading. Game over for Alex de Angelis. He's crashed his Aprilia. Giugliano is catching Hayden. So is Markus Reiterberger. Hayden could be eaten up by the Ducati and the BMW. He's struggling for pace, and his tires are too soft of a compound, and are fading. Alex Lowes is making a good recovery as van der Mark and Torres fight for seventh.
Torres is inside van der Mark. Remember back to last fall, in October, and the MotoGP race here in Malaysia where Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez had their tussle. Markus Reiterberger makes the pass and Nicky Hayden loses another place. Reiterberger is impressive in this race! He's able to put the motorcycle right where it needs to be on the road. He tries to make a move, but Davide Giugliano cuts him off and says, "no way, sunshine. I'm keeping the place." Torres and van der Mark could work their way into this fight before too long as well. Hayden isn't letting Markus Reiterberger get away. However, he'll pass Giugliano soon.
Uh oh. Someone else has crashed. It's a red motorcycle, meaning either Lorenzo Savadori's Aprilia, or, one of the factory Ducati Panigale's. Ah. Savadori did ditch his Aprilia. What a shame! Both Aprilia's have now retired from race one in Malaysia along with the Toth Yamaha YZF R1 of Pawel Szkopek. Reiterberger goes really wide to pass Giugliano and does it! Reiterberger is a very good rider, because he's adapted well to WSBK and has ridden some very smart races as of late. Sykes leads by 4.5 seconds, and Chaz Davies has fallen a second behind Jonathan Rea. Could this be Sykes' race to lose? Reiterberger would give BMW it's third top five finish in succession, and match their best result of the year at Imola which was at the beginning of this month of course.
Markus Reiterberger can be compared to former multiple champion MotoGP rider Casey Stoner from Australia, because he's a very methodical rider. Sykes and Rea are running identical lap times at 2:05.1. Sykes leads by just under five seconds. Jonathan Rea has to make up a second a lap with five laps left. There's no way, unless the tires really drop off. Jordi Torres moves ahead of Nicky Hayden. Alex Lowes has now recovered to a point where he is challenging Michael van der Mark. Can Jordi Torres pass Davide Giugliano? Will Giugliano begin to fade?
The BMW performs better on a more worn tire than brand new ones. Oh my! Markus Reiterberger, for all the talk about him, he's out! Jordi Torres, his Althea BMW team mate, picks up two places, and now passes Davide Giugliano as well. Alex Lowes tries Nicky Hayden, but Lowes slams the door in his face. Reiterberger simply lost all drive out of his BMW. Game over. Lowes makes a move on Hayden and makes it stick. Alex Lowes crossed the gravel, and he didn't actually crash. The bike is not damaged. Alex Lowes passes Davide Giugliano. Three laps to go in race one at Sepang.
Kawasaki is on for a 1-2 in this first race in Malaysia. Sykes still runs quicker than Rea. There will be no tire wear to worry about. Kawasaki won race one here last year, and Sykes, has never won here. Sykes would pick up some points and be 62 behind Jonathan Rea, while Chaz Davies would be 39 points behind. Two laps now remain. Sykes has managed this first race beautifully. Torres and Lowes continue their battle as Giugliano, Hayden, and van der Mark, run behind them. Anthony West remains ninth, and now, into the top ten is Leon Camier on the MV Agusta 1000 F4. Hayden loses a spot to his team mate, as the Honda riders, swap. van der Mark has gotten the better of Hayden in seven of the ten races held so far in WSBK 2016.
Luca Scassa is now up to 13th place on the VFT Racing Ducati. Once again, we hope to see Fabio Menghi back at Misano, coming up in June. Xavi Fores runs 14th and in 15th, hoping to score his first WSBK world championship points, is Josh Hook. van der Mark passes Hayden on the inside, into turn seven. Torres, Lowes, and Giugliano still fight for fourth through sixth place. van der Mark indeed passes Hayden. Anthony West, will end up ninth, and he's had quite the outing here in Sepang, as a sub. It is now the final lap. Hayden's tire choice was a major mistake and it hasn't worked.
Tom Sykes is on target for his second win of the year, and his first in Malaysia. No rear tire errors for Tom Sykes today. Sykes makes up for disappointment here in Malaysia, last year. It's a KRT 1-2 and Sykes creams the opposition in race one, by 5.5 seconds! Rea beats Davies to increase his championship lead, and Torres gets another fourth for BMW! Giugliano, van der Mark, Hayden, West, Camier, Brookes, Abraham, Scassa, Fores, and Hook, complete the top fifteen.
#66 Tom Sykes GBR. Kawasaki ZX10R
Race two action, from Sepang, is coming up.
Can Tom Sykes, do the double? We have a fully wet race, coming up. Alex Lowes starts on the front row. Althea and BMW finished fourth in race one. Tom Sykes, wants to do the double. There is an air of tension in Malaysia for this Sunday race, as we have had significant rainfall. The air temperature is now 26 degrees Celsius (78 degrees Fahrenheit). Track temperature is at 32 degrees Celsius, (89 Fahrenheit). The wind speed is three kilometers, one mile, per hour. The World Supersport race, has not taken place at all yet. It should follow WSBK race two, and of course, it will be all be highlighted, here, on 2 Wheelin'. So, stay tuned, fans.
16 laps scheduled for this race. The humidity is high, and it strains everyone. Some rain is being lifted by the heat. Track conditions will change every lap. Pit lane opens in four minutes, as people move to the grid. But, there will be two sighting laps. Chaz Davies qualified fifth for this race. Super Pole results determine the grids for both races of the weekend. Everyone has to adapt. Every few minutes, the conditions change. Pit lane opens in less than a minute. Alex Lowes has his best ever qualifying spot of his career. The pit lane is open. Gianluca Vizziello crashed in practice on Friday. Josh Hook, though, got his first points in race one, riding for Grillini Kawasaki.
The new surface is very grippy in the wet, and does not toss up as much spray in the rider's faces. Riders use the sighting lap to look for water, finding where the puddles are and where the grip is. At the moment, the skies above Sepang International Circuit, are darkening. The pit intervention time is 61 seconds. Most riders are coming straight through pit lane. Saeed al Sulaiti, Markus Reiterberger, and Jonathan Rea, they have gone straight to the grid. You have 61 seconds between pit in, service, and going out of the pits. Gregoire Laville is the WSBK Sporting Director, and he himself is a former rider, with over 100 starts to his credit.
The minimum 30 seconds, plus the delta time in pit lane, is 61 seconds. The World Supersport race, will start, an hour and a half from now, and it's the original distance of 14 laps. If this race is delayed, it will have a further effect on proceedings. Folks, stay tuned, for the Supersport race, which will be blogged, later on. After his win yesterday, Tom Sykes has 28 career WSBK wins. Nicky Hayden did well in the dry. Jonathan Rea starts third. Alex Lowes, starts second. Riders and teams say that it is too wet to ride. Leon Camier pointed to the garages, and riders will be talking to Franck Vassierre and the safety commission.
Vassiere is the WSBK safety officer. Manny Carrera is the WSBK Championship Director, based at Dorna headquarters in Barcelona, Spain. Gregoire Laville, former racer, is also at Dorna, working as the Sporting Director for WSBK. Chaz Davies starts fifth. Alberto Colombo has been crew chief for Chaz Davies for the last five years. Tom Sykes took the Pirelli Best Lap Award, in yesterday's race. Chaz Davies has taken six fastest laps, and Aruba Ducati has had seven in 11 races. Tom Sykes takes his 28th pole. He is on pole ahead of back-to-back, two-time WSBK champion, Doug Polen, who was champ in 1991 and '92. Colin Edwards, has 31 poles.
Jordi Torres rolls of eighth. Now, a lovely piece of trivia. The numbers eight and one pop up in the WSBK stats. 181 wins for Great Britain, 118 for Australia and the U.S., and after Chaz Davies finished third, 818 Ducati podiums. Ducati has been the only make to finish at all the Malaysian race tracks including Shah Allam, in 1990, Johor, in 1992 and '93 and Sepang. Raymond Roche and Doug Polen won the Johor races in 1992, and the great Carl Fogarty, did the double, at Johor, in 1993.
Lorenzo Savadori starts seventh. Davide Giugliano starts ninth, and on the third row. He missed this race last year in August, after a bad crash at Laguna Seca last year. Michael van der Mark starts tenth. It has been confirmed, we will have a wet race. We knew that already.
We hope it will be a 16 lap race. Anthony West starts 11th. It's clear, but it's still raining heavily. Leon Camier starts 12th. We have five minutes, to the race start. Alex De Angelis is 13th on the grid. Josh Brookes is 14th. The race will not be stopped due to changing conditions. Stand by for drama, with rain falling, and soaking wet speedway. Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes, and Tom Sykes are on the front row. The main issue, as the riders set off on the warmup lap for race two, isn't track conditions. It is visibility.
Current weather is, air temperature = 26 degrees Celsius (78 degrees Fahrenheit), and track temperature = 31 degrees Celsisu (87 degrees Fahrenheit). We may see a very different result, in this Sunday race. No rivers puddling across the track here at Sepang, because a new drainage system has been installed. Plus, there is the camber change at turn 15. Some riders have chosen full wet tires, others have chosen a combination of intermediate and wet Pirelli's. The intermediates have two grooves cut into them with an iron, and the full wets, obviously have treads all the way across. Look how much wetter it is on the track now.
Race two for WSBK in Malaysia, is, on! Lowes and Hayden make flying starts, and he wants to go outside of Sykes on the Kawasaki into turn one! Eek! Nicky Hayden runs wide as Xavi Fores is scything through the field already. Michael van der Mark is on the outside, and he almost makes contact, with Jordi Torres. Sykes and Rea lead as Nicky Hayden runs side by side with Alex Lowes. Anthony West, has had a fabulous start! West is the bloke to look out for in the wet, as Alex Lowes runs wide into turn four. Chaz Davies makes the pass. Rea holds the lead over Sykes, and Nicky Hayden is challenging for second spot.
Lowes is not through yet. Rivers begin to develop on the road. Hayden passes Rea back through turn four. Nicky Hayden, leads his first World Superbike race, here in Malaysia! "The Kentucky Kid" is out in front. Anthony West has his hands full with Alex Lowes at the moment. West stays ahead of Lowes. Jonathan Rea has to be careful. Everyone else has everything to gain. Jonathan Rea, has everything to lose. His championship rival, Chaz Davies is right on his back door now. Anthony West is also racing in the Asian Superbike Championship. Plus, he raced MotoGP here at Sepang last year, and earned a point in World Supersport, in Australia, back in February.
Davide Giugliano makes a pass on Alex Lowes into turn 14. West dives inside Tom Sykes! They nearly touch! Giugliano is the meat in a Kawasaki sandwich, making a move down the inside of Anthony West. Anthony West's win in Moto2 in 2014 came at Assen, when he and Maverick Vinales were battling for the win. Nicky Hayden runs fastest lap so far at 2:21.224. Italy wants their 100th win as a nation in World Superbike. Davide Tardozzi, won the very first WSBK race at Donington Park in England in 1988, and Tardozzi still works with Ducati, on their MotoGP squad. Here's your top fifteen so far.
1. Nicky Hayden
2. Jonathan Rea
3. Chaz Davies
4. Tom Sykes
5. Davide Giugliano
6. Anthony West
7. Alex Lowes
8. Michael van der Mark
9. Alex De Angelis
10. Markus Reiteberger
11. Luca Savadori
12. Xavi Fores
13. Leon Camier
14. Jordi Torres
15. Gianluca Vizziello
West slides past Giugliano as Giugliano tries to pass. Giugliano passes West and Sykes. Michael van der Mark tries passing Alex Lowes, but it doesn't work. Lowes takes advantage and makes a pass on the Dutchman instead. Watch out in turns two and three on the downhill, because there is a big bump there that never used to exist before the modifications were made. Nicky Hayden is faster than Jonathan Rea at the moment. What will it be like if Hayden wins this race? West was the quickest Kawasaki, beating the factory bikes in Friday practice. We go on to lap five and Nicky Hayden has another fastest lap time, moving 2.2 seconds ahead of Jonathan Rea.
Sykes is falling into van der Mark's clutches. Hayden is now almost a full second quicker. 2:19.063 for Hayden, and 2:20.012 for Rea. Twelve laps left. Can Davies catch Jonathan Rea? This is critical for the championship. If you subtract Nicky Hayden's fast lap from the equation, it is Davide Giugliano who is the fastest bloke on the speedway right now. van der Mark runs deep into the corner, squaring it off. Alex De Angelis, meanwhile, is doing his best, to pressure Tom Sykes, at the moment. Earlier on, Alex De Angelis made a pass on Michael van der Mark, and then, van der Mark went back around him.
De Angelis passes van der Mark back. Tom Sykes is just tooling around in sixth at the moment. The race one winner, is not really getting anyplace. Jonathan Rea is now running faster (slightly), than Nicky Hayden. But, Hayden is closing. Jonathan Rea will be four points up on Chaz Davies, after this race. Alex De Angelis, has had podiums here in Malaysia before on a 250cc bike, including in 2005 when he finishd behind Casey Stoner, in a 250cc race. The track surface is very good, and the pace is only 14 seconds slower than in the dry in the Saturday race. The track is drying out, and it's not raining at the moment.
There is a lot of puddling and standing water in the runoff areas. Leon Camier for MV Agusta completes the top ten. Reiterberger and the other BMW's are struggling. Game over for Karel Abraham. Imre Toth is the last bike circulating. Hayden still leads and has set fastest lap of this race at 2:17.978. He leads by 2.7 seconds over Jonathan Rea, building up the gap. Since 1988, 71 riders have won World Superbike races. The most recent new winner, was Jordi Torres at the end of race one at the 2015 finale in Qatar. Will Nicky Hayden become the 72nd new winner? We complete lap eight and are halfway home. Chaz Davies aims for a podium place.
If Davies gets overtaken by Davide Giugliano, he'll have two more points taken out. Davies became the 20th rider to earn his 40th career podium finish. Davies sets fastest lap, and then, Giugliano, immediately betters the time. 2:17.872 for Giugliano. Davies runs wide close to the curbs and has to back off a little bit. Davies and Giugliano continue their scrum for the final podium place. Lorenzo Savadori has not had the best weekend here in Malaysia at all. He may get one point. But, it will be a lonely, 15th place finish, for him. Giugliano resets fastest lap at 2:17.616. Rea trails Hayden by 2.7 seconds and the two Ducati's are the sharks in the water. They can smell blood, and it's the green Kawasaki of Jonathan Rea they want to take a chomp out of.
This battle is pivotal for the 2016 WSBK world championship. No matter what, Rea will maintain his points lead. He leads Davies by 43 points, currently. Giugliano is sixth overall in points and has no chance at the championship. After what happened earlier in the year at Argentina for the MotoGP Ducati team, no taking your team mate out! Rea goes defensive. He's been on the podium in every race so far this year. Giugliano goes inside Davies and has a massive moment! That was eerily similar to the Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone MotoGP clash! Team bosses Paolo Ciabatti, Gigi Dall'igna, and WSBK boss Ernesto Marinelli, had their hearts in their throats!
Davies wants to slide by, and make a move on Tom Sykes. Jonathan Rea takes a place from Giugliano. Nicky Hayden still leads, and is still fastest on the track. 2:17.570 for Hayden, and he leads by four seconds. Davide Giugliano seems more than willing to put a move on Chaz Davies. Just don't repeat the Dovizioso/Iannone incident! Hayden has given up three seconds to the Ducati's in one sector of the track. Michael van der Mark passes Tom Sykes. Five laps now remain in race two. Chaz Davies is now second, as Giugliano posts a new fast lap. Hayden could win this race. P.J. Jacobsen became the first American to win a World Supersport race, here at Sepang, last year.
Davies slides past Giugliano around a tight left hand turn. Nicky Hayden laps the slow Yamaha of Imre Toth. Giugliano does set fast lap at 2:17.419. Alex De Angelis has now passed Tom Sykes, and Sykes is down in ninth. Ooh! Giugliano very nearly makes contact with Davies! They touch! Davies runs wide and Giugliano goes around him. Fast lap keeps fluctuating, as Jonathan Rea resets it. Anthony West for Pedercini Kawasaki is in the top five. It'll be their best finish since David Salom ran sixth at Aragon last year. It is confirmed that Jonathan Rea resets fastest lap at 2:17.160. Lots is at stake. Davies has more to lose than Rea does.
Davies is not afraid of losing points. Hayden wants to win his first race and so does Giugliano, who also wants the 100th race win for an Italian rider. Giugliano has eaten a full second out of Hayden's lead, and the Rea and Davies battle is still sizzling! Alex Lowes is now beginning to tumble down the order. It's game over for Lowes, as he's crashed out. The gap is down to two seconds and Giugliano sets another fastest lap! Neither of these chaps at the front have won a race in World Superbike yet. This is going to be a stunning finish! Hang on to your hollyhocks here, boys! Honda is also looking to break a losing streak. They haven't won since 2014 when Jonathan Rea rode for them.
Hayden just needs to hit his marks, and bring it home. Be consistent. The gap is 1.8 seconds, meaning two riders are fighting for the win. Rea is closing on Davies. Sykes is eighth, and Markus Reiterberger on the BMW has set his personal best lap of the race, and could catch Team Green. Two laps left. The battle for third rages on. Someone will have their maiden WSBK win. It looks to be Nicky Hayden. Hayden runs slightly wide. You have to go back a decade, this month, to Hayden's last race win of any sort in MotoGP at Laguna Seca in 2006, when he won the championship. Hayden did run wide at turn nine, losing time.
He is one full second over Giugliano. Giugliano isn't out of this fight by any means. It is the last lap. We have Honda vs. Ducati, Hayden vs. Giugliano. Hayden has to sit up and squirt power out of the corner. Hayden now opens the gap. He didn't run wide. He's just taking a different apex to not abuse the tire. The infamous turn 15 lies ahead. Will Nicky Hayden make it? Will he win in World Superbike for the first time? Ten years after winning the MotoGP World Championship, Nicky Hayden scores his first ever World Superbike win!
#69 Nicky Hayden USA Honda CBR1000RR
van der Mark narrowly beats Alex De Angelis for sixth! Sykes is eighth. Markus Reiterberger completes the top ten, and it looks like, in 15th, will be, Pawel Szkopek, scoring a single point! Honda is back on top, and, we have an American back on top in WSBK! From joy, to heartbreak for Pawel Szkopek! He's wrecked right at the end, going down, and giving the final point, to Josh Hook! Jonathan Rea beats Chaz Davies, and he maintains his 100% podium rating, and he increases his championship lead, by seven, to 42 points.
Hayden becomes the tenth American rider to win in World Superbike, joining names such as Colin Edwards, Ben Spies, Fred Merkel, Doug Polen, Scott Russell, John Kocinski, Doug Chandler, Ben Bostrom, and Tom Kipp, to be an American rider who has won in WSBK. Ben Spies was the last American to win in WSBK in 2009. The next World Superbike race, in fact, it has already been run. It was at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England, over the weekend. Stay tuned, for all the race highlights from Donington Park in the English midlands, where WSBK all began in 1988, coming soon.
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