2009 Hannspree World SuperBike Championship Round 13, Magny-Cours, France, Oct 4th Race Report
HAGA TAKES ADVANTAGE OF HIS TEN POINTS LEAD OVER SPIES
The penultimate round of the Hannspree World Superbike Championship at Magny-Cours in France was subject to some of the closest racing seen this season as 81,000 spectators would witness Ducati Xerox rider Nori Haga extend his three point lead over Sterilgarda Yamaha's Ben Spies who would go on to take his tenth pole position of the year with Haga having all the work to do from fifth on the grid. Race one would see Ben Spies take charge of the 23-lap race, but Haga would push him all the way to the chequred flag with Aprilia's Max Biaggi taking third. The second race of the day saw a totally different Nori Haga who led from the lights to the finish line ahead of Aprilia's Max Biaggi and Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Johnny Rea taking third, but a bad tyre choice from Spies would see the American end his day in fourth giving Haga a ten points lead going into the final round at Portimao in Portugal on 25th October.
Race One. Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies took full advantage from his tenth pole position of the year by taking victory ahead of Ducati Xerox's Nori Haga who throughout the 23-lap race battled hard with Aprilia's Max Biaggi, but once he broke Biaggi the Japanese star was able to catch the Yamaha rider but unable to make a pass and had to settle for the runner up spot with Biaggi taking third ahead of Haga's team-mate Michel Fabrizio. Britain's Stiggy Racing Honda's Leon Haslam had a quiet ride in fifth as Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Carlos Checa had to fight hard to take sixth ahead of Alstare Suzuki's Yukio Kagayama and Britain's Sterilgarda Ducati's Shane Byrne. BMW's Troy Corser who at one point was as high up as fifth would eventually have to settle for ninth with Guandalini Racing Ducati's Jakub Smrz in tenth.
Race two. After losing out to Ben Spies in the first race Nori Haga led from the lights to the chequred flag as a wrong tyre choice from Spies would see the American struggle throughout the 23-lap race to finish in fourth. It was a double celebration for the Aprilia team as Max Biaggi would go one better than his third place finish in race one to take second ahead of Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Johnny Rea. Stiggy Racing Honda rider Leon Haslam would repeat his race one position to take fifth again with Alstare Suzuki's Yukio Kagayama getting the better of Sterilgarda Ducati's Shane Byrne for sixth. Kagayama's team-mate Karl Muggeridge roduced a stunning ride to take eighth ahead of Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Carlos Checa and BMW's Troy Corser rounding out the top ten.
WORLD SUPERSPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP.
Yamaha World Supersports rider Cal Crutchlow continued to keep his championship title alive finished second to Kawasaki Motocard.com's Joan Lascorz who rode brilliantly around the French circuit with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Kenan Sofuoglu taking third. Crutchlow's nearest rival in the championship Parkalgar Honda's Eugene Laverty had to retire due to mechanical problems leaving Crutchlow on top with 230 points compared to Laverty in second on 211 points and Sofuoglu in third on 169 points. With one round remaining and 25 points still up for grabs, Crutchlow now has one hand on the trophy going into Portimao on 25th October.
