WSB 2010 Phillip Island Race 1 Results

[Steve]

WSB 2010 Phillip Island - Race results (1)

Full race results (1) for the opening round of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island, Australia. DO NOT OPEN IF YOU HAVE YET TO WATCH THE RACE









1. Leon Haslam GBR Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 34mins 13.435s 22 laps
2. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1198 +0.004s
3. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1198 +0.769s
4. Jonathan Rea GBR Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +10.201s
5. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +10.782s
6. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 +11.079s
7. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1198 +11.208s
8. Jakub Smrz CZE PATA B&G Racing Ducati 1198 +16.522s
9. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +20.291s
10. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA DFX Ducati 1198 +26.352s
11. Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +29.775s
12. Max Neukirchner GER Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR +30.155s
13. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R +31.951s
14. Shane Byrne GBR Althea Ducati 1198 +31.957s
15. Andrew Pitt AUS Reitwagen BMW S1000RR +55.082s

16. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR +1min 10.932s
17. Matteo Baiocco ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 11.237s
18. Roger Lee Hayden USA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min 17.357s
19. Joshua Brookes AUS Echo-CRS Honda CBR1000RR +6 laps

Not Classified

20. Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 5 laps completed
21. Chris Vermeulen AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 3 laps completed
22. James Toseland GBR Yamaha Sterilgarda YZF R1 2 laps completed

Did Not Start

Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR
Roland Resch AUT Reitwagen BMW S1000RR

'Happy' Haslam breaks victory duck in style
Haslam needs just a four thousandth margin of error as he secures his first-ever victory at a world championship level
Leon Haslam can call himself an international race winner for the first time in his career after breaking his long-awaited World Superbike victory duck at Phillip Island, the Briton proving he will be a force to be reckoned with this season in the process.

A day after signalling his intentions with a maiden pole position during Superpole, Haslam converted it into a convincing victory in race one, while only a last gasp effort from Carlos Checa in race two prevented him from doubling up for the revitalised Suzuki Alstare team.

Celebrating his first race as a factory-supported rider in the best way possible, while Haslam led from start-to-finish, he was still made to work hard for victory after fending off race long pressure from Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga.

Indeed, his winning margin could barely have been tighter, Haslam clinching victory by a mere four thousandths of a second over Fabrizio in a photo-finish determined result.

“I am so happy to get my first WSBK win and it feels great,” he smiled. "I want to thank the team and all the staff back at the workshop for all their support and hard work and I'd also like to thank Francis and Patricia Batta for having faith in me.

“The first race was such hard work and it was impossible to relax for a second. I knew that I had Michel and Nori breathing down my neck, but I just kept concentrating on my lines and my braking points and tried to hold them off. I realised that Michel was in my wheeltracks going into the last turn and would try and use the draft to get past me, but I kept my head down and charged to the flag.

“At the end, I didn't know if I'd won or not, but when I realised that I had, I was so unbelievably happy and it was such a fantastic feeling. All weekend I knew that a win was possible, but thinking about and it happening are two different things!”

A repeat performance appeared to be in the offing for Haslam in race two after seeming to have come out on top of in an entertaining dual between himself and team-mate Sylvain Guintoli during the closing stages. However, he had no answer to Checa, who would deny Haslam the double with a last gasp pass on the final lap of the race.

Nonetheless, Haslam wasn't too disheartened by the outcome, maintaining that he is delighted to be leaving the opening round of the season with the championship lead in his pocket.

“In race two, I had some problems with rear traction but I still thought I could win. I had a great fight with Sylvain and when I finally got ahead of him and made it stick, I thought he might act as a buffer between me and the rest.

“Then suddenly, Carlos was there. He dived under me just three corners from the end, on the last lap. I tried to get it back, but he managed to hold me off and take the flag. But, it feels good to take a win and a second in my first race with the team and it feels fantastic to be leading the Superbike World Championship.”

Haslam's win came at his 61st WSBK attempt, while victory for Suzuki marks its first since Max Neukirchner triumphed at Misano in 2008.


Bruising return to Superbikes for Toseland
A tenth place finish and a spectacular high-side leaves James Toseland on the back foot after the first round in Australia
James Toseland's bid to become the first rider to win three World Superbike titles with three different manufacturers got off to a bad start as he leaves Phillip Island with only a tenth place finish and several bruises to show for.

Toseland's first World Superbike race since he left the series as champion back in 2007, the Briton made a decent start from eighth on the grid during the first encounter to run seventh early on.

However, his race would last just three laps before he high-sided at Lukey Heights, Toseland proceeding to land heavily on the hand he injured in a crash during free practice two days earlier.

Nonetheless, Toseland was back on the bike for race two, running as high as fifth initially before his form steadily began to wane. Caught and passed first by Carlos Checa, then Troy Corser and Jonathan Rea, Toseland gamely clung on to eighth position before both Max Biaggi and Cal Crutchlow would demote him to tenth late on.

Not the successful start he had envisaged pre-season, while Toseland was disappointed to come away with just a handful of points, he remains confident that there is plenty of potential in the Yamaha package.

"I really needed to finish the second race after the crash in the first,” he said. “To only finish 14 seconds from the front with the issues we've had this weekend is not so bad. I was really disappointed with the first race, with my injury on Friday I wanted to have two good finishes today.

“Full credit to the team they've tried so hard but unfortunately we haven't had the software here to solve the issue. We know what the problem is and I've given enough feedback and input to give the guys a direction to go in.

“We've got a lot of work to do, no doubt, but even with all the problems we're not actually that far away. The package, the power, the balance and the suspension have come on leaps and bounds. On to Portimao now, it's a long season so we can do it."


Fabrizio: I thought I’d done enough!
Michel Fabrizio describes the moment he thought he'd won the first World Superbike race of the season at Phillip Island
Michel Fabrizio could barely contain his disappointment at missing out on victory in the opening World Superbike race of the season, particularly after he was initially awarded the win.

After a race spent staring at the back of Leon Haslam's Suzuki, a last gasp attack out of the final bend brought him alongside his rival as the finish line approached where the timing screens initially revealed him as the winner by 0.004secs.

Prompting celebrations amongst the Ducati Xerox team, Fabrizio too believed he had won when he glanced at the 'big screen' to see the cameras trained on his delighted wife.

However, the result was only officially declared when a photo-finish was swiftly produced, with Haslam being shown to have held on to victory by little more than an inch. With the result reversed, Fabrizio was forced to concede defeat, much to his frustration.

“I had a great battle with Leon in race one,” he said. “In the last four laps I tried to understand where I could attempt to get past him but it wasn't easy so I pushed on right to the finish line and, to tell the truth, I thought I'd done enough!

“Leon and I were right there together as we crossed the line, and on the big screen I could see my wife celebrating in the box - but the result was decided by the photo-finish and I had to settle for 20 points this time.”

Keen to make amends in race two, Fabrizio was once again amongst the leaders from start-to-finish, but he could not get any higher than third after being overtaken by Carlos Checa late on and finish behind Haslam again.

Nonetheless, Fabrizio was satisfied with his performances as two podium results signal his best start to a World Superbike season

“My team did not make any changes to the bike before the second race and I was again able to make a good start but it was a very difficult race. I stayed there with the leading pack but I realised it would be very hard to win, and in the last four laps it became more difficult to fight.

“I am very happy with today's results, which put me in second place on the leaderboard after round one. It will be a very long and challenging season but we've made a good start today.”