2009 Hannspree World SuperBike Championship Round 9, Donington Park, UK, June 28th Race Report
BEN SPIES TAKES THE DOUBLE AT DONINGTON PARK
Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies pulled off an amazing double win in the ninth round of the Hannspree World Superbike Championship in front of 61,000 spectators at Donington Park in the UK. The 25-year-old Texan has reduced Ducati Xerox rider Nori Haga lead at the top to just 14 points, Aprilia's Max Biaggi took second in race one with Ducati Xerox Nori Haga in third. Race two saw Spies dominate again by crossing the finish line some 7 seconds ahead of Britian's Stiggy Racing Honda rider Leon Haslam who was pushed all the way by Ducati Xerox's Michel Fabrizio taking third, but it was a bad day for Nori Haga who crashed out early on resulting in him injuring his back and fracturing his collarbone.
Race One. After storming to another win in the World Superbikes making it his ninth victory of the season Ben Spies closed the points gap on Ducati Xerox Nori Haga who had to settle for third behind Aprilia's Max Biaggi who machine seemed to run out of fuel only a few hundred metres from the finish line, but Biaggi swayed the bike from side to side and managed to fire up the Aprilia again to take his second podium of the year. The battle for fourth would eventually go to Britain's Leon Haslam who was challenged throughout the race by fellow countryman Sterilgarda Shane Shakey Byrne who had to settle for fifth ahead of Aprilia's Shinya Nakano and fellow Brit Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Johnny Rea. Haslam's team-mate John Hopkins who was coming back after fracturing his hip at Assen rode to a superb eighth while not fully fit held off a challenge from Quandalini Racing Ducati's Jakub Smrz with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari in tenth.
Race Two. Ben Spies performed a repeat performance of race one by taking his tenth win of the year by over seven seconds, but it was a disaster for Nori Haga who crashed on lap two and was later air lifted to Derby Hospital with a fractured vertebra and broken collarbone. Britian's Stiggy Racing Honda's Leon Haslam managed to hold off a race long challenge from Haga's team-mate Michel Fabrizio to take second with the battle for fourth
would go to fellow Brit Sterilgarda Ducati's Shane Shakey Byrne who was pushed all the way to the line by compatriots Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike Tom Sykes and wildcard rider Airwaves Yamaha Leon Camier. Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Ryuichi had a better second to finish seventh ahead of wildcard rider Airwaves Yamaha James Ellison with BMW Mottard Ruben Xaus in ninth and the final wildcard rider MSS Colchester Kawasaki's Simon Andrews in tenth.
WORLD SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP
Local rider Yamaha World Supersports Cal Crutchlow took his fourth win of the year despite shrugging off a fractured ankle his picked up in qualifying the previous day. Camier's closest rival Parkalgar Honda's Eugene Laverty would crash early on, only to remount and fight his way to fifth. The runner up place on the podium would go to Provec Kawasaki Motocard.com rider Joan Lascorz with Australian veteran Garry MCcoy giving the ParkinGO Triumph BE 1 Racing squad their first ever podium in the championship.
