2008 Hannspree World SuperBike Championship Round 2 Phillip Island, Australia, 2nd March Race Report
BAYLISS DOES THE DOUBLE INFRONT OF HIS HOME FANS DOWN UNDER
This weekend over 70,000 Australian fans headed to the Phillip Island circuit which lies two hours drive north of Melbourne. In sunny windy conditions Xerox Ducati rider Troy Bayliss was racing at his home circuit for the last time before he retires from racing at the end of the year, so the Aussie favourite would not settle for anything less than a double win this weekend after taking pole position and smashing the lap record at Phillip Island.
Race One. There was drama straight from the start as Xerox Ducati's Michel Fabrizio stalled his bike which resulted with one of the riders from the back of the grid hitting at over 60mph and catupulting him into the air. The red flagged was out, as Australia's Russell Holland went into lukey Heights corner to fast he collided with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Carlos Checa at 120mph and throwing into the air, luckily Checa was able to restart the race along with Fabrizio. Straight from the off Bayliss good a good start and that's where he stayed throughout the race and eventually went onto to win by a massive 8 seconds, but the action was all behind him as Sterilgarda Go-Eleven Ducati's Max Biaggi stormed from 16th to second place only to crash out and give Yamaha Motor Italia's Troy Corser second place, third place went to a well deserved Michel Fabrizio who was riding injured from the earlier crash on the grid.
Race Two. After dominating race one Bayliss would settle for nothing else than the double win and after a good start his was in second place behind the Yamaha of Troy Corser who led for two laps until he lost the front end ans crashed out, but unknown to Corser, he would have had to come in for a ride through penalty for a jump start. Up at the front Troy Bayliss was in a class of his his own as behind him there was a five way battle between Sterilgarda Go-Eleven Ducati's Ruben Xaus, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Carlos Checa, Alstare Suzuki's Fonsi Nieto, Xerox Ducati's Michel Fabrizio and Yamaha Motor Itala's Nori Haga. These five riders were not giving an inch as the battle for the podium got closer and closer, but eventually Checa, Xaus and Nieto dropped off Haga and Fabrizio to continue their fight for second and third, but it was Carlos Checa who crossed the line to take second ahead of fellow countryman Fonsi Nieto with Ruben Xaus in fourth. Bayliss now leads the championship with 88 points over Fonsi Nieto on 66 points and Ruben Xaus in third with 59 points.
WORLD SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP.
Yamaha World SSP rider Broc Parkes chucked away the race lead by crashing out of his home round at Phillip Island in Australia, pole sitter Andrew Pitt went onto take his first with of the year for the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team, but Pitt was pushed all the way to the line by the Hannspree Stiggy Motorport's duo of Josh Brookes and Robbin Harms. FOurth place went to France's Fabien Foret who was dropped off by the laeding trio on the last lap as injured Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Johnny Rea took fifth while riding injured from the previous weekend at Qatar. But the ride of the day had to got to Triumph's Garry Mcoy who fought from 17th to finish sixth. All in all it was a good day for the Aussie's having three riders finishing in the top six.
