WSBK – Haga takes the reins of the championship! – First Superbike race

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Haga takes the reins of the championship !

WSBK - Haga takes the reins of the championship! - First Superbike race

Noriyuki Haga brilliantly took over from Troy Bayliss on Sunday at Phillip Island and if Ben Spies was surprised in the first round, he largely caught up in the second … In Supersport, Sofuoglu won in front of two Australians !

First Superbike race

Ben Spies got off to a good start but his satisfaction was short-lived: passed in the first stretch by Rea, the Texan went off the track at the second corner to avoid Max Biaggi and Leon Haslam who were fighting for just 2nd place. behind him.

"I did not have the choice", will regret the n ° 19 of Yamaha, victim in this same round of a second exit of the track, because of Xaus this time … Ben will finish his first race in World Superbike in a disappointing 16th place and will be firmly determined to erase this failure in the second round…

Starting like a ball, Jonathan Rea took the lead during the first three laps before being joined and quickly overtaken by Noriyuki Haga. "I conscientiously saved my rear tire by driving as gently as possible", explained the Irishman at the end of the race.

But this strategy will pay off, since the Irishman will hoist his Ten Kate n ° 65 to 5th place in this first round, just ahead of the other Honda of the young Leon Haslam and far ahead of that of his teammate Carlos Checa who, started badly, had to hit his tire too early and finished only 12th…

The Spaniard, however, is doing better than his former MotoGP buddy Makoto Tamada who fails in 16th place on his official Kawasaki. And again the Ninjas don’t score a single point…

Regis Laconi for his part shines: the ex-driver Kawa on his Ducati is once again fighting among the best! He even completed several laps in 2nd position at Noriyuki Haga’s asp, before giving way to two particularly impressive drivers: Yukio Kagayama and Max Neukirchner.

The two Suzuki riders had no trouble making their way through the peloton and Max – Neukirchner, not Biaggi who lost six places in the first lap and will be around 10th place the entire race -, Max the German therefore, returns the command shortly before halfway.

Then follows a superb ballet composed of the GSX-R 1000 n ° 76 and the 1098 n ° 41. Behind, the 1098 n ° 55 withstood the attacks of the Gex n ° 71 for a while, but Laconi had to admit defeat in the 10th lap … Yukio Kagayama therefore climbed back on a podium that has eluded him since the Brno event in 2007 !

The show in front is superb, but we have to wait for the very last laps to see Max and Nori really raising the tone. However, as supercharged as this duo is, he will not manage to beat the record of the round set in the 3rd lap by "a" rookie….

"I am happy to finish 8th after starting from 5th row – my worst qualifying in World Superbike – and happy to have set the best time of the race", underlines Troy Corser who can be fully satisfied with the racing behavior of his BMW S1000RR.

Patient, Haga does not leave Neukirchner’s rear wheel … A rear wheel that slips more and more, especially in the Lukey Heights bend and the straight ahead. !

Declared "Wet", the race took place on a perfectly dry track and the entire field started with slick tires. "There was a risk of precipitation so I attacked from the first lap", declared Nitro Nori.

However, the Japanese are suspected of hiding their game and expected to remain wisely behind the German – which he has been doing since the 9th round – and only deliver a decisive attack at the very end. of the race.

But six laps from the checkered flag, a few drops do indeed appear … N ° 41 therefore decides to attack and tries to outrun n ° 76, but in vain: despite the precarious grip of his Gex , Neukirchner remains in contact with Haga !

Better, at the start of the last lap, young Max regains control and stands up to Nori until in the famous Lukey Heights…

There, in this superb left-hand side perched on the back of a hill, the rear wheel of the Gex slips briefly before hanging up! Neukirchner had some control and did not go highside while Haga, for his part, avoided the Suz ‘backsplash which he skirted from the outside before realigning himself on the optimal trajectory. !

Max Neukirchner immediately refocuses, regains the Ducati pots in the next pif-paf and polishes his finish as well as possible … But does not manage to dislodge Nitro Nori – for 32 thousandths! – who thus wins the victory !

This first podium of the year is completed by Yukio Kagayama who crosses the finish line more than 5 seconds after the infernal duo. The second rider Suz ‘perfectly controlled the ascent of the second Ducati rider Michel Fabrizio.

For his part, Regis Laconi had a lot to do with the two young British wolves Johny Rea and Leon Haslam. The two rookies rise in this order to 5th and 6th place, in front of our worthy representative who cannot believe it !

"I fight with the best machines because I know I can do it. I needed a good bike and the DFX Corse team made it available to me. Even though I pinch myself, I am not dreaming !", declared the driver from Meuse on arrival.

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