2012 World Superbikes - Round 13

Despite 4-3 results on the RSV4, Biaggi will go into the Magny Cours season finale in an almost unbeatable position, after main challenger and fellow Italian Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrrad S1000RR) crashed out on the opening lap of race one and was then hit from behind. Injured and sent to hospital for observation on a suspected damaged kidney, Melandri did not start race 2.

Qualifying was held in dry conditions, where Biaggi, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team ZX10R) and Melandri were the only riders to record sub 1 minute 43 second laps. When it came to Superpole, Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing Aprilia RSV4) was the early frontrunner, followed by Sykes and Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team RSV4). At the end of Superpole 3, Sykes secured pole position with a 1'41.415 best lap, closely followed by Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati 1098R) and Laverty, with Melandri completing the front row.


RACE 1 - INTERRUPTED
In heavy rain that impacted on the morning warm up and forced a delay to the start of the day's racing, the opening Superbike race saw Laverty lead the field from Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team CBR 1000RR), but drama on the opening lap saw Melandri fall while attempting a passing move on Biaggi. Bringing Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati 1098R) down with him, Melandri was then hit by the following Davies, putting all three riders out of the race.

After six laps, Biaggi made the move past his team mate Laverty for the lead, but the race was red flagged immediately afterwards when Norino Brignola (Grillini Team BMW S1000RR) crashed and deposited oil on what was already a slippery track.

RACE 1
At the restart of race 1, Biaggi got the early break, but not earlier than Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad S 1000RR) who was judged to have jumped the start and had to serve a ride-through penalty. Sykes made his move on lap 3 to take the lead, with Rea, Sylvain Guintoli (PATA Racing Team Ducati 1098R), Checa and Effenbert Liberty Racing's Brett McCormick close behind in the wet conditions.

As the race continued to wind out, Guintoli showed his wet weather prowess to move into second place behind Sykes, with Checa also passing Biaggi midway through the shortened 16-lap race. The surprise of the race was McCormick, who was holding his own on the Ducati 1098R against more experienced opposition at the tail end of the top five.

Out front, Sykes was holding a solid lead over Guintoli, but when Checa made his move past the Frenchman on lap 12, he began to hunt down the Brit, and looked a threat for the win in the closing stages. The margin was down to 0.286 seconds on lap 14, but Sykes did enough to hold off Checa and record his third win of the season. Guintoli completed the podium behind Checa, with Biaggi and McCormick rounding out the top five.

RACE 2
Melandri was sent to hospital with suspected kidney damage, so did not start race 2. Given the earlier delays, conditions had improved enough for race 2 to be declared dry, and at the start, Laverty made a charge, with Sykes and Davies for company. Despite the drier conditions, a number of riders, including Davies, crashed or retired with technical problems. Haslam had another wretched race, retiring after 2 laps. He was followed on the next lap by Sykes, whose ZX10R was billowing engine smoke as he pulled off the track.

When Davies crashed out on lap 5, it gave Laverty a sizable gap over Biaggi at the head of the field. The Italian veteran was having his own battle with Rea, who was showing some improvement over his race 1 form. Guintoli, too, was riding well, sticking on the back wheel of Leon Camier (Crescent FIXI Suzuki GSXR1000RR) for most of the race after the Brit made a pass for fourth place on lap 8.

While Laverty was holding the lead, Checa was working his way through the field after running wide on lap 2. Checa dropped as low as 14th before working his way up to sixth by the race's closing stages. Rea and Biaggi were eating into Laverty's lead in the closing stages, and it looked like the Honda rider might pip the Irishman for the win in the final few laps.

A mistake on the penultimate lap from Camier allowed Guintoli, Checa and Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet S1000RR) through, with the Suzuki rider inflicting enough damage in his trip through the gravel to retire from the race on the final lap. At the front, the leading trio were unchanged for the final 10 laps, with Laverty eventually crossing the finish line 0.162 seconds ahead of Rea, with Biaggi completing the podium. Guintoli was 10 seconds behind the winner in fourth, with Checa a further 10 seconds back in fifth.

As has been the case for the latter part of the season, the Portimao round saw fluctuating fortunes for the frontrunners, but Biaggi was ultimately the winner, despite not winning a race. Melandri's second successive double DNF means he drops to third in the championship, with Biaggi holding a 30.5 point lead over Sykes with one round remaining. With a possible 50 points on offer, Sykes can win the championship, as can Melandri, but both riders would require DNFs or non-point scoring results from their main competitors in both races to claim the championship.

"We had some good luck today and also some bad luck," said Sykes of his up-and-down weekend.

"Everybody has seen today what happens in racing. Melandri has been on the pace this weekend and through a change of luck he went out of two races. So anything and everything can happen.

"I accept it, even though it is hard to take having got to within 14.5pts of the lead after race one. I felt I could have reduced that gap again. But it was not to be, so what can you do?," Sykes concluded.

2012 WORLD SUPERBIKE RESULTS - PORTIMAO

Race one: 16 laps (shortened)
1 - Tom Sykes Kawasaki 31'42.011
2 - Carlos Checa Ducati +0.306
3 - Sylvain Guintoli Ducati +2.732
4 - Max Biaggi Aprilia +11.564
5 - Brett McCormick Ducati +11.771
6 - Jonathan Rea Honda +11.792
7 - Loris Baz Kawasaki +28.693
8 - Hiroshi Aoyama Honda +29.581
9 - Ayrton Badovini BMW +31.507
10 - Michel Fabrizio BMW +31.587
Fastest lap: Biaggi - 1:56.477

Race one: 22 laps
1 - Eugene Laverty Aprilia 38'35.105
2 - Jonathan Rea Honda +0.162
3 - Max Biaggi Aprilia +3.766
4 - Sylvain Guintoli Ducati +10.440
5 - Carlos Checa Ducati +20.153
6 - Ayrton Badovini BMW +23.152
7 - Loris Baz Kawasaki +27.314
8 - Michel Fabrizio BMW +35.682
9 - Brett McCormick Ducati +35.766
10 - Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati +38.311
Fastest lap: Laverty - 1:44.578

CURRENT WORLD SUPERBIKE STANDINGS (AFTER 13 OF 14 ROUNDS)
1 - Biaggi 347
2 - Sykes 316.5
3 - Melandri 308.5
4 - Checa 278.5
5 - Rea 255.5
6 - Laverty 241.5
7 - Haslam 189
8 - Guintoli 172.5
9 - Davies 156.5
10 - Fabrizio 133.5

Final round: Magny Cours, France, October 5-7

Images: 2SNAP, courtesy of IRPR