2008 Hannspree World SuperBike Championship Round 14, Portmao, Portugal, November 2nd Race Report
BAYLISS ENDS HIS CAREER ON A HIGH WITH A DOUBLE WIN IN PORTUGAL
With the final round of the 2008 Hannspree World Superbike Championship finally arriving at the newly built Portimao Circuit in Portugal newly crowned world champion Troy Bayliss would end his amazing career infront of 91,000 spectators to which he would reward them with a dominate display of controlled riding to win both races for one last time for the Xerox Ducati Team.
Race one. After taking pole position for the twenty sixth time in his superbike career Xerox Ducati's Troy Bayliss got his trademark fast start to surge into the lead and once the three times world champion found his pace he managed to open up a massive lead by seven seconds. Once Bayliss was away the fight was on for second as a total of six riders contested the runner-up spot but it would be the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda of Carlos Checa to cross the finish some three seconds behind Bayliss with Yamaha Motor Italia's Troy Corser in taking and hotly contested fourth place finish eventually went to wild-card rider Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Johnny Rea who was making his debut in the superbike class with Alstare Suzuki's Fonsi Nieto taking fifth with fellow countryman Vent-Axia VK Honda's Gregorio Lavilla sixth, seventh was British wild-card rider HM Plant Honda's Leon Haslam, eighth Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari, ninth Go-Eleven Sterilgarda Ducati's Ruben Xaus with PSG-1 Kawasaki's Regis Laconi in tenth. It was a bad day for Go-Eleven Sterilgarda Ducati's Max Biaggi and Xerox Ducati's Michel Fabrizio took them both out on the first lap with Yamaha Motor Italia's Nori Haga retiring from the race while in fourth as he developed a electrical problem with five laps to go.
Race two. After taking victory in race one Xerox Ducati's Troy Bayliss produced another fast start and take his victory of the day by over three seconds ahead team-mate Michel Fabrizio with wild-card rider HM Plant Honda's Leon Haslam getting the better of Alstare Suzuki's Max Neukirchner in the final stage to take third. Alstare Suzuki's Fonsi Nieto took fifth ahead of Yamaha Motor Italia's Troy Corser who wrapped up the second place in the championship by finishing sixth, seventh was Hannspree Ten Kate Hhonda's Carlos Checa, eighth Vent-Axia VK Honda's Gregorio Lavilla, ninth HM Plant Honda's wild-card rider Cal Crutchlow with PSG-1 Kawasaki's Regis Laconi taking his second tenth place finish of the day. Yamaha Motor Italia's Nori Haga who was fighting for a podium place finish had to take a ride-through penalty for a jump start and eventually ended up in fourteenth and taking third overall in the championship behind his team-mate Troy Corser.
WORLD SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP. Kenan Sofuoglu made a victorious return to the championship that he won in 2007 and once he found his pace the Turkish rider opened a gap of over three seconds to take victory ahead of his future team-mate and newly crowned world champion Andrew Pitt with Spain's Joan Lascorz taking third for the Glaner Motocard.com Honda team.
