Donington Park in Leicestershire, England, is the venue, of round seven of the 2016 FIM World Superbike Championship. Races 13 and 14 will be run. We are back where it all began. Donington Park in England, saw the very first FIM World Superbike race ever run, on Easter weekend in 1988. But, in more current times, Tom Sykes, he has won the last six consecutive races that have been staged here, going back to 2013. Will his streak continue? Will someone else steal his thunder? This track is iconic in motorsport with a distance of four kilometers (2.5 miles), and was constructed back in 1931. The Craner Curves kick off the lap, and then, there are two more critical corners at Goddard's and the Melbourne Loop, towards the end of the lap.
23 laps are scheduled for race one. At the end of today's event, we'll have reached the halfway mark of the 2016 FIM World Superbike season. Jonathan Rea has finished on the podium in every WSBK race so far this year. Let us have a look at post time weather conditions. Air temperature = 16 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature = 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit). There is a slight breeze. Grab your hot dogs, hamburgers, and ice cream cones, and settle in for this World Superbike race. Chaz Davies' Ducati is being fueled up. He had a fuel fire on Friday in practice.
Davies is second on the grid. Tom Sykes set a new record at 1:26.712, the fastest ever WSBK lap at Donington Park. 8/10ths of a second quicker than Chaz Davies. Jonathan Rea and Davide Giugliano, qualified fourth and fifth. Lorenzo Savadori has qualified in third. Jonathan Rea has won half of his races with Kawasaki. However, he went off the road at Goddard's and also, at McLean's corner. The short run to turn one at Red Gate, will be a telling sign. Tom Sykes is also running well and did so even on the qualifying tire. Tom Sykes did the double here, last year. Rea doesn't have the motorcycle in the operating window he needs to be in.
Interestingly, both Althea BMW riders (Markus Reiterberger and Jordi Torres), are only on the second engine for each, in the season long allotment of seven they are allowed to use. That's also the case for the Grillini Kawasaki team and their pilot, Dominic Schmitter. Tom Sykes has used four engines this season already. If you have to use an eighth engine, you are penalized for using that eighth engine, in the race. Tom Sykes has 35 poles, closing on Troy Corser's record, and his fourth pole in five years, at Donington. But, if Sykes doesn't win both races here at Donington, his championship hopes, will be dashed. Sykes is confident. But he has to sweep.
An Aprilia has come to the front row for the first time in WSBK. Lorenzo Savadori is on the front row and it's his first front row on an Aprilia since scoring a front row start in Superstock 1000 last year, a race, from Donington, you will hear about, on 2 Wheelin', a bit later on. So, stay tuned for that. Savadori also did the hat trick in the 2007 Rookies Cup race. The pit lane is open, and the riders bring their bikes out on the track. So far, Jonathan Rea has scored 162 points since Aragon, and Chaz Davies, 160. Davies lost 40 points to Rea between the rounds in Australia and Thailand. We hit halfway in this race meeting, of course.
Sykes comes out of the pits, going toward Red Gate. So many great race tracks, use the contours of the land they are built on, and Donington Park is no exception. Chaz Davies starts second, and it's only his second front row start of the year, besides being on pole at Imola. Davies lost points at Phillip Island, and also coming to pit too late at Assen, and also, difficulties at Sepang, in Malaysia, last time out. Davies has to take points off Rea. We have tracks coming up that will favor the Ducati at Misano in Italy, and here in the U.S. at Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California. For winning the Tissot Super Pole award, former WSBK champion (from 2003), Neil Hodgson, presents Tom Sykes (another world champ in 2013), with the Tissot wristwatch.
Chaz Davies has six fast lap awards. Jonathan Rea and crew chief Per Arriba, are discussing something. Davide Giugliano starts fourth. Jordi Torres starts sixth. Torres never ran here in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, because they were racing at Silverstone, another fabulous British speed palace. Nicky Hayden has qualified seventh. Lorenzo Savadori starts third, and he is speaking to his former team boss, for Kawasaki, Mr. Pedercini. They so nearly won the Superstock 1000 championship back in 2014. Leon Camier starts eighth on the MV Agusta. He was the British Superbike champion in 2009. Camier is at ease with the MV Agusta, here at Donington. Ninth, on the factory Yamaha, is American, Cameron Beaubier, making his World Superbike debut.
It's still going to be tough for Crescent Yamaha though, because their main rider, Alex Lowes is on the sidelines, with a collarbone injury. Beaubier is the reigning MotoAmerica champion. Sylvain Guintoli will return, at Misano. But, he's still got issue with his left ankle. Xavi Fores completes the top ten. Karel Abraham starts 11th on the Milwaukee BMW. They did very well on Friday and went through to Super Pole 2, but had a wreck in the Craner Curves. Michael van der Mark is 12th. He is still coming to grips with a Superbike at Donington Park. 13th is Alex De Angelis, and he's getting more comfortable on the Aprilia.
Josh Brookes starts 14th. British food, is very much like the stadium or track food we get here in the states. There's hamburgers and hot dogs, and the British staple of fish and chips as well. Malt vinegar, extra. Fish and chips is good stuff, and you can get curry as well. So we don't make anyone hungry, let us now get back to the race. Roman Ramos, returns to action, here at Donington. Ramos is 15th. He's run in the CEV Repsol series, and in Germany. Ramos' symbol, is a platypus. Could it be named, Philip, the platypus? Luca Scassa is 16th. He could do well, and has been filling in for Fabio Menghi of course. He's adapting well to WSBK. Let's hope that Menghi is ready for the next race.
Anthony West, is next on the grid. He starts 17th and had a wreck through Red Gate. West is on the Pedercini Kawasaki bike. Five minutes to the race start as the Alfa 4C safety car, pulls away. Markus Reiterberger is 18th. He's struggling. Dominic Schmitter is 19th. Mechanics turn the engines over on the motorcycles. We're ready to race here at Donington Park. At the end of this race, we'll be at halfway in the 2016 WSBK season. Cameron Beaubier, is the only Yamaha YZF R1 in this race. Despite two points scoring finishes in Malaysia, Josh Hook has parted ways with the Grillini team. Sheridan Morais was supposed to race for the team, but he was hurt in a crash in MotoAmerica competition that you've read about here.
Dominic Schmitter is the only rider for Grillini in this race. Track conditions at post time 16 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit), air temperature, and 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), track temperature. Sylvain Guintoli is going to be here to watch race two. A variety of tires. Everyone uses the B spec Pirelli rear tire with SC0 compound, a soft tire. Some guys are using the SC1, SC2, and SC3 front tires. The Kawasaki's are using C spec, while others are using the B spec, SC2 compound tire. Fast facts. Donington first hosted WSBK in it's inaugural year, 1988. Tom Sykes and Carl Fogarty, are tied, on six wins apiece, here at Donington. Next on the list, is five wins, accomplished by American Scott Russell.
Here's a cool factoid. In 46 WSBK races run here, 46 different riders have finished on the podium. Carl Fogarty, is here at Donington, to watch. Stand by. We are ready for WBSK action, at Donington. The Saturday race, is go! 23 laps to run. Tom Sykes has the edge going into Red Gate for the first time. But, Chaz Davies says, "no way, sunshine", and sticks his nose in front, to lead through the first corner. Davide Giugliano on the sister Ducati pushes Jonathan Rea out wide. So, the Ducati's have something to say, right from the get go here. Downhill through Hollywood corner, approaching the fabulous Craner Curves for the first time. Cameron Beaubier is now sixth and he's applying the blowtorch to Lorenzo Savadori already!
Davide Giugliano is also pushing early on. Chaz Davies is real strong under braking. Tom Sykes is, too. But, he can't quite make a move on Davies just yet. The riders enter the Melbourne Loop for the first time. Sykes crashed here during Friday's second free practice. Davies runs wide into Goddard's and Sykes sees an opportunity. But, Davide Giugliano moves around Sykes, and almost makes contact! Holy smokes! The action is hot and heavy early on here in the English midlands, chaps. Oh dear! Poor old Cameron Beaubier! He's wrecked on his WSBK debut! Sykes and Rea run side by side now. Ducati runs 1-2 at the moment. Jonathan Rea passes Tom Sykes, closing the gap to the Ducati's.
Giugliano tries moving inside of Chaz Davies. No dice. Sykes can't stay with Rea at the moment. Lorenzo Savadori is hanging with the lead group. Giugliano, Davies, and Rea, all toss fast lap back and forth as Luca Scassa goes off and on at the Melbourne Loop. 1:28 flat for Rea (1:28.020). Jonathan Rea runs wide as we see Giugliano take a role as the cat among the pigeons. Rea wants to get by Davies and as they run the championship lead, decreases, from 42 points to 33 points. Rea runs wide and Tom Sykes can smell blood in the water. He's getting closer to his Kawasaki team mate. Savadori completes the top five while Jordi Torres and Leon Camier run sixth and seventh respectively at the present time. The two Honda's of Nicky Hayden and Michael van der Mark are eighth and ninth, with Karel Abraham on the Milwaukee BMW, tenth.
Rea gets crossed up, hitting a bump into Goddard's. If you lean the motorcycle over, you will have a low side crash, as we watch Chaz Davies open a gap on his Ducati team mate. The Ducati riders have to use the lean angle on their bikes more and the Kawasaki's can stay more upright to negotiate the turn. Rea brakes and turns at the same time, while Sykes applies the brakes, and then turns into the corner. Yamaha seems to have been cursed after Cameron Beaubier crashed out on lap one. Davies makes a mistake, and he leaves the door open for Giugliano, headed to the Fogarty esses. Those curbs have been smoothed out, and so has the curb at Starkey's corner. Roman Ramos attacks Anthony West for 13th. But, an even more stirring battle is further ahead as Nicky Hayden is hotly pursued by the BMW of Jordi Torres.
Nicky Hayden turns into Coppice corner and still has Torres right on his rear tire. Honda moves by BMW down Starkey's straight. There used to be a bridge at Starkey's, but not anymore. Leon Camier on the MV Agusta is Hayden's next target. If you aren't putting your weight in the optimum spot on the bike, you'll do a huge wheelie, coming off Starkey's straight. Oh dear! Five laps into this race, and Chaz Davies, has gone down! Davies is back in the race, but he's going to lose championship points hand over fist. Davies sinks to 16th as Davide Giugliano now leads Jonathan Rea.
Italy wants it's 100th win in WSBK racing. Donington, is where they got their first, at the hands of Davide Tardozzi, riding a Bimota, on Easter Monday, 1988. Giugliano runs well at the front now. But he may be eaten up by the Kawasaki's here in a little while. The bikes fly down Wheatcroft straight. Named after Tom Wheatcroft, who is credited for making Donington Park the speed palace that it is today. He was track owner back in the 1970s and his son Kevin Wheatcroft still owns this track and runs it. Chaz Davies currently runs behind three other bikes. Brookes, Ramos, and Reiterberger, to be precise. Davies had the bike roll out from underneath him in a low side pirouette.
The bumps in Goddard's corner can unsettle the bike. Goddard's is not a good corner for the team running the Ducati's, because said team (I can't remember their full name), was running the BMW S1000RR's back in 2012, and at that time, both of their riders (Marco Melandri and Leon Haslam), tangled with each other, at Goddard's in the Donington WSBK race. Tom Sykes is 8/10ths behind Giugliano, who struggles to whoa the bike down into Melbourne, on lap eight. Oh no! Rea makes a mistake, goes off course, and across the grass! Rea has had engine braking issues on his Kawasaki. That's probably where the little miscue, came from.
Rea is now fourth, behind Lorenzo Salvadori. It's hard to tell if it was an engine braking problem, or hitting a false neutral. Rea passes Savadori into McLean's, a favorite passing spot on this course. Davies has made up one place, passing Reiterberger for 15th. Xavi Fores and Roman Ramos battle for 15th spot. Fores has it. Ramos wants it. Nicky Hayden has made his way past Leon Camier. Giugliano still leads and is comfortable. But, Tom Sykes is still going for it. When did we last have first time winners in consecutive races in WSBK competition? It's been 20 years, going back to Sugo, Japan, in 1996, when Yuichi Takada in the first, and Takumi Owaki in the second one.
We are halfway through race one as Chaz Davies has passed Josh Brookes. Davies can still finish in the top five. Sykes is able to keep the Kawasaki stable over the bumps as he pursues Davide Giugliano. If they go off the road, they have to use a small, specific patch of tarmac to rejoin the course. If they don't, they'll be subjected to penalties from the FIM and Dorna stewards. The points paying positions are Giugliano, Sykes, Rea, Savadori, Hayden, Camier, Torres, van der Mark, Karel Abraham, Alex De Angelis, Anthony West, Chaz Davies, Josh Brookes, Markus Reiterberger, and Xavi Fores.
Chaz Davies is putting pressure on Anthony West at the moment. Giugliano is set to put a lap on the privateer Yamaha of Imre Toth. Eleven laps remain. Chaz Davies is much faster than the rest of this group he's caught on track. That includes Abraham, De Angelis, and West. Davies has to be careful. He can't slam down the outside of this group and risk a wreck, because points are what he is after. De Angelis and West scrap for position, as De Angelis loses two spots, and both De Angelis and West, pay the price for their tomfoolery and take a tandem spill into the gravel trap. Actually, Davies came down the inside of both riders, pushing West out slightly, causing a domino effect and West hits De Angelis, knocking both down.
Chaz Davies is now into the top ten. Davies has to get through as many places as he can, working to get to riders such as Hayden, van der Mark, Camier, and Torres. Tom Sykes does not have to force the issue. He's got a five second gap between himself and Jonathan Rea, as Giugliano continues to lead. Davies passes Abraham and is now ninth. Antony West has rejoined the race, well down the order, but still in a points paying spot. Race control will have a look at this most recent incident. Oh dear! Chaz Davies has fallen, a second time, here in race one at Donington Park! This time, it's game over! The front end of the Ducati, washes away and sends Davies down, in Coppice corner. Not good. This makes things more painful for Davies, as he'll be 58 points behind in the points standings.
Tom Sykes tries passing Davide Giugliano into the Melbourne Loop, and runs wide. Jonathan Rea, runs wide, again! Wow. This first race at Donington, has been crazy! Seven laps to go. Rea has an issue where, when he applies the brakes into a certain corner, the revs drop completely and the bike idles through the corner. Seven laps remain as Giugliano and Sykes are the ones fighting for the win in race one of WSBK at Donington. We have Luca Scassa on the VFT Ducati also running into trouble. He has been given a black and orange mechanical black flag. Sykes passes Giugliano on the inside through Melbourne. Kawasaki may beat Ducati in this one. Sykes is 70 points behind Jonathan Rea. He'll be 61 points out if he wins. Scassa should stop, but he's dropping down the order.
Rea is adapting and still working on scoring points. He'll probably get a podium out of this first race. Leon Camier slides the MV Agusta. Markus Reiterberger, like his Althea BMW team mate Jordi Torres, has been coming on strong in the second half of race one. Reiterberger is into the top ten. Roman Ramos has also made a pass on Josh Brookes. Through the Old Hairpin, it's Sykes, Giugliano, Rea, Savadori. Markus Reiterberger is now under pressure from Anthony West. We also watch another fabulous scrap for position as Josh Brookes and Xavi Fores go at it. They fight for 13th spot. Fores slides right past Brookes. Lorenzo Savadori has now dropped from fourth to sixth place.
Dominic Schmitter has now put his Kawasaki in position in 15th, to take the final championship point in this race. Leon Camier has made his way to the top five, in fifth, right behind Nicky Hayden, at the expense of Lorenzo Savadori. Savadori runs wide at Goddard's, which has been calamity corner this weekend. Savadori is trying to fight back past Leon Camier. But, Camier takes a line pushing the other rider to the outside of the track. Can Nicky Hayden defend his place from Lorenzo Savadori. Xavi Fores has been passed by Markus Reiterberger. Michael van der Mark and Jordi Torres, fight for seventh, as we are on the last lap of race one at Donington. Torres is the best BMW with Karel Abraham second best for the marque at the moment, even though they are on two different teams.
Tom Sykes is on course for his seventh straight win at Donington Park. Sykes took the opportunity to pass Davide Giugliano, and made it work. Sykes has had the confidence, speaking with his crew chief. Tom Sykes will be the first WSBK rider in history, to win seven times at Donington! It's his third win of the year, and the 85th Kawasaki WSBK win!
World Superbike Race 1: #66 Tom Sykes GBR. Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX10R
Race two, (the Sunday race at Donington), is, next!
The second half of the 2016 WSBK season begins, right here, right now. All focus shifts, to Tom Sykes. Can he make it four doubles, and eight straight wins at Donington, again, from pole? The first speedway at Donington was put together back in 1931. Leon Camier finished fourth in race one on the MV Agusta. Can he put the MV 1000 F4 on the podium, this time? Davide Giugliano continues to chase after Italy's 100th WSBK win as a nation. Can Tom Sykes go eight for eight at Donington? We'll soon see.
Round seven of thirteen, as we start the second half of the season. 35,000 people have been here at Donington this weekend, and a good number of them have been by the on track ice cream vendor for sure. The most popular flavor, surely is, vanilla. As we look at the track conditions, we see air temperatures of 14 degrees Celsius (57 degrees Fahrenheit), and track temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). Nicky Hayden completed the top five in race one. Anthony West completed the top ten. Chaz Davies had his first non points scoring race since Imola in 2015. Cameron Beaubier low sided off his Yamaha at the end of lap one in race one yesterday. Can the MotoAmerica racer from the United States, do better in today's event? Lets hope so.
It has been a great weekend, here at Donington, and the fans have filled the place, and gotten their moneys worth, with the racing already. We still have race two for WSBK and don't forget races in World Supersport, and Superstock 1000, coming up, later on. Many fans from Northern Ireland are here to cheer on Jonathan Rea. Chaz Davies receives encouragement from four-time World Superbike champion, and former Ducati rider, Carl Fogarty. Sykes got his seventh Donington win, but it wasn't without some cases of wheel chatter during the first race on Saturday. Lorenzo Savadori has his first front row start, since Superstock 1000 in Britain, last year. Balmy weather, at Donington.
The pit lane is now open. It was a shame for Beaubier to fall down, so early in race one. Will he race full time, for Yamaha, in WBSK, next year? Jonathan Rea will be back with Kawasaki in 2017. Will Tom Sykes do likewise? Nicky Hayden should be back with the factory Honda team. Will Crescent stay with Yamaha? Will the Milwaukee squad continue with BMW? Many questions have yet to be answered. Crescent and Yamaha may continue. There could be other Yamaha teams, and Chaz Davies could be back at Ducati. Davide Giugliano could also be back. What can Kawasaki do to fix false neutrals in the gearbox? It's a mechanical or electronic issue.
Tom Sykes is more comfortable with the Kawasaki than Jonathan Rea is, even though Rea is at a points advantage. Losing 40 minutes for Chaz Davies with the fuel tank fire on Friday, caused him real problems. Kawasaki, Ducati, and Aprilia, are on the front row of the starting grid for this second race at Donington. Leon Camier had an incredible fourth place on the MV Agusta, as already mentioned. Camier passed Nicky Hayden and Lorenzo Savadori dropped to sixth when he ran wide at Goddard's. Jonathan Rea leads Tom Sykes in the championship table, by 61 points. Davide Giugliano swaps with Michael van der Mark for fourth in the championship. Kawasaki leads Ducati in the constructor's championship.
Chaz Davies says he's not focused on the championship and wants to win races. Well, when a racer says that, they're bluffing. Two former riders discuss things. Lucio Pedercini, now a team owner, and two-time WSBK champion, James Toseland, who won titles in 2004 and 2007. Davide Giugliano starts fifth. He has three podium finishes. Jordi Torres rolls off sixth. Seventh is Nicky Hayden. Jonathan Rea scored the Pirelli Best Lap award in race one. Leon Camier rolls off eighth. MV Agusta is making progress with their motorcycle. Cameron Beaubier rolls off ninth, looking for a far better result today than yesterday.
Beaubier has his crew chief from MotoAmerica with him, and also, former American rider/Yamaha team member, Jake Zemke. The WSBK bike has different tires and electronics as well as suspension compared to the MotoAmerica bikes. Karel Abraham starts 11th. Xavi Fores is tenth. Michael van der Mark is 12th. van der Mark scored nil points here last year. Alex De Angelis is 13th and he's taken flack for his scrum with Anthony West in race one on Saturday. Joshua Brookes starts 14th on the Milwaukee BMW. That team, has had a new swing arm on the motorcycle for the last few rounds. Roman Ramos starts 15th. His left hand index finger, is now healed. Luca Scassa starts 16th and it could be his final race this season before Fabio Menghi returns at Misano in three weeks.
Anthony West starts 17th. We have yet to hear of Sylvain Barrier's condition, after he fractured his wrist at Motorland Aragon, back in April. Markus Reiterberger is 18th. On a new tire they don't perform as well as on a worn tire with a lighter fuel tank. Dominic Schmitter is 19th and should feel better after crashing on the warmup lap in race one. Another rider who we are not seeing is Peter Sebestyen, who wrecked along with Dominic Schmitter, back at Imola. He's been away from the WSBK for a while. Matthieu Lussiana starts 20th on the BMW S1000RR, with zebra striped tire warmers on it.
Nearly everyone on the grid is on the SC1 B compound Pirelli rear tire, and there's variety aplenty insofar as front tire compounds. Saeed Al Sulaiti and Pawel Szkopek, and Imre Toth complete the starting grid, here at Donington. The Alfa Romeo safety car is dispatched for the last time on the course. Five minutes before the start. The engines have been started. Will Tom Sykes have four consecutive doubles at Donington? We are on the warmup lap. Have Per Arriba and Jonathan Rea found a solution to the false neutral problem from Saturday? Only one rider, has won eight races at a given circuit, in World Superbike history. Carl Fogarty did so at Assen in Holland, between 1993 and 1996.
Weather conditions at post time 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), air temp. 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit), track temp. Identical conditions, to Saturday. Karel Abraham is in trouble. His BMW S1000RR is in the garage even before the start. He will have to start from pit lane. Red lights on. Red lights, out! Go! Tom Sykes goes into the lead and it's another Kawasaki vs. Ducati showdown. Nicky Hayden points his Honda ahead of Lorenzo Savadori's Aprilia. They drop down through Hollywood corner for the first time. Clean and green through the Craner Curves as we hope Karel Abraham can start from pit lane and catch up to the rest of the field. Through the Old Hairpin, Leon Camier and Savadori, nearly make contact!
23 laps again for this race as Cameron Beaubier is ninth. Chaz Davies might be able to accelerate out of the slow corners better, as Ducati has given his bike a little different gearing for today's race. Davies runs wide into Goddard's and is picked off by Jonathan Rea. Sykes has also made changes to his bike after suffering wheel chatter on Saturday. Savadori has lost spots from the front of the grid and Jordi Torres has also had a rough start on the Althea BMW. He's lost five places dropping from sixth to 11th. Pawel Szkopek has made up two places after starting caboose on the field and is now 19th. Karel Abraham hasn't made it out of pit lane. His race is done before it even starts.
This is a long race as Giugliano runs wide and Nicky Hayden tries to pass. This is a long race at 90 kilometers (60 miles). Rea is quicker than Sykes, and under the lap record. Rea runs 1:27.605. Cameron Beaubier in ninth is chasing Xavi Fores on the Barni Racing Ducati. Nicky Hayden pushes his way inside Giugliano, and Lorenzo Savadori also takes advantage. Giugliano drops to sixth. Rea's aforementioned lap at 1:27.605, is fastest so far. Rea is the faster of the two Kawasaki's and can use more corner speed than can Sykes. Davide Giugliano re-passes Leon Camier. The Kawasaki's battle into the braking zone for the Melbourne Loop.
At the start of lap five, Cameron Beaubier on the #6 Yamaha has gone around Xavi Fores. A huge battle is happening for tenth to 14th place as well between Michael van der Mark, Jordi Torres, Josh Brookes, Roman Ramos, and Anthony West. Sykes needs to find some pace and pull out a gap over Rea. Rea is right behind Sykes. We work lap five. The bikes dive through Hollywood and the Craner Curves. It could be game over for Matthieu Lussiana. He's pulled his motorcycle into pit lane. Amazingly, no rider in WSBK has retired on lap one of a race yet this year.
Hayden and Savadori continue to fight. Davide Giugliano has his hands full, with Leon Camier, at the moment. We watch with intrigue the two riding styles of the Kawasaki riders where Sykes throws the bike into the corner, braking in a straight line, and Rea, turning and braking at the same moment. It is also interesting to study rider's lean angles, as we see Leon Camier passing Davide Giugliano. He makes the move into McLean's. Taller riders sometimes have issues shifting their weight around on a motorcycle. But, this isn't always a disadvantage, and can be helpful, in some cases. Meanwhile, Imre Toth has a problem in Coppice corner, and he is out.
Cameron Beaubier is now being hounded, by van der Mark, Fores, Torres, and Josh Brookes. Beaubier is a very capable rider. But, he has virtually no experience on the Pirelli tire and that is catching him out a little bit compared to the regulars. He is used to racing the Dunlop tire in MotoAmerica competition, and the Dunlop has far less grip than does the Pirelli. Jonathan Rea, meanwhile, isn't letting Tom Sykes get away. Rea uses the curbs through the Carl Fogarty esses. Recall these two had a fantastic battle, since Thailand in race two.
These two are the first team mates in one team since Troy Corser and Carl Fogarty at the Ducati Performance Team in 1999. Jordi Torres is the top BMW as he fights with fellow BMW mounted rider, Josh Brookes. Nicky Hayden and Lorenzo Savadori also continue their battle. Hayden has raced at Donington in MotoGP before, and finished fourth, for Honda, in 2004. Jordi Torres and Xavi Fores have swapped places for tenth and 11th. Althea BMW vs. Barni Ducati. Brookes has passed Fores, too. At this part of the track, torque and tire grip, play a major role. If Sykes is beaten by Jonathan Rea at Donginton, that will be a major story.
We are not quite halfway through this race. If Rea makes a move, it will be into a heavy braking zone. Savadori passes Hayden for eighth. Michael van der Mark also passes Cameron Beaubier. Fourth for Savadori, Hayden, fifth. My mistake. Through Starkey's, Sykes is being sized up by Rea. When Sykes hits the front, he is a very tough man to overtake. Jordi Torres has fallen behind Roman Ramos and Anthony West. Torres, has dropped back. Torres tries to attack Cameron Beaubier on the Yamaha for ninth, misses a gear, and goes straight on in the braking zone for the Fogarty esses. Torres now passes Anthony West. Brookes passes Beaubier as well.
Chaz Davies is three seconds behind. Yamaha has had a tough few races with their Superbike and Superstock 1000 riders being injured. Keep an eye out, as mentioned, for highlights of the STK1000 event, coming soon. Beaubier is doing very well for Yamaha. Meanwhile, Josh Brookes is having a good race. But, for Michael van der Mark, he's struggled at Donington. He won in Supersport here. But he has not had the same luck in Superbike. We have nine laps to go, as the top fifteen is Sykes, Rea, Davies, Savadori, Hayden, Camier, Giugliano, van der Mark, Brookes, Beaubier, Ramos, Torres, West, Fores, and Reiterberger.
Jordi Torres has passed Roman Ramos. Likewise, Josh Brookes has done the same on Michael van der Mark. Davide Giugliano, after a great Saturday performance, has only managed to be about seventh in this race. Leon Camier runs sixth on the MV Agusta. Just seven lap remain in race two. It's game over for Saeed Al Sulaiti on the second Pedercini Kawasaki ZX10R. He's out. Dominic Schmitter is the last remaining runner, in 19th spot. Lorenzo Savadori has had an amazing WSBK debut season to date. But, all eyes on the Kawasaki's. Who's your money on? Tom Sykes has had good form in the past. But, Jonathan Rea, could have a go, pretty quickly. Can he pass? That's a whole different question.
Rea dirt tracks his Kawasaki into Starkey's! Yikes! He holds on. Rea puts his motorcycle where he needs to be. Sykes, puts his where it has to be. So, it's hard to pass #66. Sykes has great drive through and off of Coppice, down to the Fogarty esses. Rea has more mid corner speed through Red Gate. But Sykes crushes the exit speed out of the corner. Down through Hollywood and into the Craner Curves again. Lap 19, four laps left. Rea is up the inside of Sykes. Can he do it? Yes! Sykes tries ducking back underneath. No dice. Rea runs wide and Sykes says, "thank you, Johnny!" The battle for the win, is on, in the English Midlands between the two green machines! Coming up to Melbourne, we'll have three to go.
Rea uses the curbs through the esses. He has struggled into Goddard's. Lorenzo Savadori, as we watch the Kawasaki battle, is closing in on Chaz Davies, too. It looks like Cameron Beaubier will get a top ten in his WSBK debut, and here are the top fifteen runners as we come to the end.
1. Tom Sykes
2. Jonathan Rea
3. Chaz Davies
4. Lorenzo Savadori
5. Nicky Hayden
6. Leon Camier
7. Davide Giugliano
8. Michael van der Mark
9. Josh Brookes
10. Cameron Beaubier
11. Jordi Torres
12. Anthony West
13. Roman Ramos
14. Xavi Fores
15. Alex De Angelis
Sykes holds his line through the Old Hairpin. Rea wants to win races, to get to the championship. This is personal, between Sykes and Rea. Two laps left. Sykes has won in British Superbike, and has won seven races here. Carl Fogarty, had the record, at six, and did the double here, back in 1995. Sykes has a good gap over Rea. Sykes was not expecting this pressure level. We have a lap (2.5 miles), left in this motorcycle race. 6/10ths of a second is the gap, and Sykes is 3/10ths quicker. Leon Camier has passed Nicky Hayden. Lorenzo Savadori remains fourth. Savadori and Camier have both done really well, even being overshadowed by the Kawasaki duel for the win. Sykes has 1.3 seconds on Rea. He's eased off, Rea has. Tom Sykes has had a flawless performance.
Sykes does the double at Donington! He had to fight for it on Saturday, but today, he's had it all his own way! Eight wins and four consecutive doubles!
World Superbike Race 2: #66 Tom Sykes GBR. Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX10R
A great WSBK race from Donington! Still catching up with the races. The eighth round of the series took place, a couple of weeks ago at Misano World Circuit "Marco Simoncelli" on the Adriatic coast in Italy. Stay tuned, for a report, on that event, coming soon.
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