WSBK 2011 - Donington **SPOILERS**

[Richo]

Well we had to wait for a month until the 2nd round but it is finally here. I am loving the fact we have had MotoGP last week, WSBK this week and then MotoGP again next week. Beign deprived for so long of racing it is good to get it back in full measure.

Biaggi and Melandri seem to be going pretty well so far in QP1. Also good to see Vermeulen back on the grid albeit at the back. Clearly he is still suffering.

QP1 Times posted from front page:
>

Pos	No.	Rider	Bike	Time	Diff
1	1	M. BIAGGI	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	1'28.794
2	33	M. MELANDRI	Yamaha YZF R1	1'28.841	0.047
3	7	C. CHECA	Ducati 1098R	1'29.194	0.400
4	58	E. LAVERTY	Yamaha YZF R1	1'29.379	0.585
5	96	J. SMRZ	Ducati 1098R	1'29.397	0.603
6	91	L. HASLAM	BMW S1000 RR	1'29.472	0.678
7	11	T. CORSER	BMW S1000 RR	1'29.476	0.682
8	111	R. XAUS	Honda CBR1000RR	1'29.613	0.819
9	17	J. LASCORZ	Kawasaki ZX-10R	1'29.637	0.843
10	2	L. CAMIER	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	1'29.639	0.845
11	41	N. HAGA	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	1'29.814	1.020
12	121	M. BERGER	Ducati 1098R	1'29.851	1.057
13	66	T. SYKES	Kawasaki ZX-10R	1'29.860	1.066
14	50	S. GUINTOLI	Ducati 1098R	1'30.008	1.214
15	86	A. BADOVINI	BMW S1000 RR	1'30.169	1.375
16	4	J. REA	Honda CBR1000RR	1'30.348	1.554
17	84	M. FABRIZIO	Suzuki GSX-R1000	1'30.383	1.589
18	44	R. ROLFO	Kawasaki ZX-10R	1'30.680	1.886
19	8	M. AITCHISON	Kawasaki ZX-10R	1'31.117	2.323
20	77	C. VERMEULEN	Kawasaki ZX-10R	1'31.485	2.691

[Gustav O]

Checa seems very quick as well as he topped both free practices.
I think it will be a battle between Biaggi, Checa, Melandri and Laverty.

Looking forward to the Superpole today.

In SS I hope Robbin Harms and Alexander Lundh can perform well, Harms has usually done very well at Donington.

[CLX]

What is it with Biaggi getting involved with problems with every other italian bike racer from here to Mars?

For championship sake, I don't want another Checa double. But the rest of the pack better do something before its too late. A BMW win would be sweet.

[Jonzie]

He did seem pretty nervous during the whole weekend so far, but I don't think he did anything wrong intentionally, on the contrary I didn't like the way Melandri came back to him. I think he's pushing the rivalry for media purposes. Italian media love this kind shit.

[RatsMC]

Superpole Results:
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Pos	No.	Rider	Bike	Time	Diff
1	7	C. CHECA	Ducati 1098R	1'28.099
2	91	L. HASLAM	BMW S1000 RR	1'28.365	0.266
3	66	T. SYKES	Kawasaki ZX-10R	1'28.556	0.457
4	96	J. SMRZ	Ducati 1098R	1'28.561	0.462
5	41	N. HAGA	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	1'28.673	0.574
6	1	M. BIAGGI	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	1'28.702	0.603
7	2	L. CAMIER	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	1'28.737	0.638
8	4	J. REA	Honda CBR1000RR	1'29.514	1.415
SP 2
9	33	M. MELANDRI	Yamaha YZF R1	1'28.803	0.614
10	11	T. CORSER	BMW S1000 RR	1'28.836	0.647
11	84	M. FABRIZIO	Suzuki GSX-R1000	1'29.135	0.946
12	17	J. LASCORZ	Kawasaki ZX-10R	1'29.422	1.233
SP 1
13	58	E. LAVERTY	Yamaha YZF R1	1'29.312	0.764
14	50	S. GUINTOLI	Ducati 1098R	1'29.879	1.331
15	121	M. BERGER	Ducati 1098R	1'30.002	1.454
16	111	R. XAUS	Honda CBR1000RR	1'30.076	1.528

[Richo]

Thanks for fixing my table at the top Rats, I was just a bit too lazy to do it.

Just finished watching Superpole and it was good to see a BMW and Kawasaki up there. Checa seems to be very smooth and capable of pulling out fast laps at will. I hope he doens't just clear off like at Phillip Island. I especially enjoyed watching Sykes on the Kawasaki. He looked pretty wild and the bike was frequently out of shape. I think they may still have quite a bit of sorting to do on that bike yet. Looking forward to the race now.

[RatsMC]

Melandri. Lascorz.

[RatsMC]

[RatsMC]

Race 1 Results:
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Pos	No.	Rider	Country	Bike	Diff
1	33	M. MELANDRI	ITA	Yamaha YZF R1
2	96	J. SMRZ	CZE	Ducati 1098R	2.455
3	7	C. CHECA	ESP	Ducati 1098R	5.839
4	91	L. HASLAM	GBR	BMW S1000 RR	6.176
5	4	J. REA	GBR	Honda CBR1000RR	9.039
6	41	N. HAGA	JPN	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	9.215
7	1	M. BIAGGI	ITA	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	9.960
8	2	L. CAMIER	GBR	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	14.860
9	11	T. CORSER	AUS	BMW S1000 RR	14.877
10	17	J. LASCORZ	ESP	Kawasaki ZX-10R	16.182
11	50	S. GUINTOLI	FRA	Ducati 1098R	25.820
12	111	R. XAUS	ESP	Honda CBR1000RR	28.378
13	86	A. BADOVINI	ITA	BMW S1000 RR	31.869
14	44	R. ROLFO	ITA	Kawasaki ZX-10R	40.015
15	8	M. AITCHISON	AUS	Kawasaki ZX-10R	1'00.128
RET	66	T. SYKES	GBR	Kawasaki ZX-10R	6 Laps
RET	84	M. FABRIZIO	ITA	Suzuki GSX-R1000	9 Laps
RET	121	M. BERGER	FRA	Ducati 1098R	18 Laps
RET	58	E. LAVERTY	IRL	Yamaha YZF R1	20 Laps

Race 2:
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Pos	No.	Rider	Country	Bike	Diff
1	7	C. CHECA	ESP	Ducati 1098R
2	33	M. MELANDRI	ITA	Yamaha YZF R1	3.397
3	2	L. CAMIER	GBR	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	5.902
4	91	L. HASLAM	GBR	BMW S1000 RR	13.842
5	17	J. LASCORZ	ESP	Kawasaki ZX-10R	14.253
6	4	J. REA	GBR	Honda CBR1000RR	19.413
7	84	M. FABRIZIO	ITA	Suzuki GSX-R1000	20.278
8	96	J. SMRZ	CZE	Ducati 1098R	21.160
9	86	A. BADOVINI	ITA	BMW S1000 RR	24.298
10	111	R. XAUS	ESP	Honda CBR1000RR	24.907
11	50	S. GUINTOLI	FRA	Ducati 1098R	32.440
12	66	T. SYKES	GBR	Kawasaki ZX-10R	32.679
13	11	T. CORSER	AUS	BMW S1000 RR	34.070
14	58	E. LAVERTY	IRL	Yamaha YZF R1	36.418
15	44	R. ROLFO	ITA	Kawasaki ZX-10R	44.037
16	8	M. AITCHISON	AUS	Kawasaki ZX-10R	52.412
17	41	N. HAGA	JPN	Aprilia RSV4 Factory	56.634
RET	121	M. BERGER	FRA	Ducati 1098R	22 Laps
EX	1	M. BIAGGI	ITA	Aprilia RSV4 Factory

Season Standings:
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Pos	Rider		Points	Diff
1	Carlos CHECA	ESP	91
2	Marco MELANDRI	ITA	72	-19
3	Leon HASLAM	GBR	53	-38
4	Max BIAGGI	ITA	49	-42
5	Jakub SMRZ	CZE	42	-49
6	Jonathan REA	GBR	38	-53
7	Leon CAMIER	GBR	37	-54
8	Michel FABRIZIO	ITA	27	-64
9	Noriyuki HAGA	JPN	26	-65
10	Tom SYKES	GBR	19	-72
11	Joan LASCORZ	ESP	17	-74
12	Eugene LAVERTY	IRL	16	-75
13	Troy CORSER	AUS	16	-75
14	Ruben XAUS	ESP	16	-75
15	Ayrton BADOVINI	ITA	12	-79
16	Roberto ROLFO	ITA	12	-79
17	Sylvain GUINTOLI	FRA	10	-81
18	Joshua WATERS	AUS	3	-88
19	James TOSELAND	GBR	2	-89
20	Mark AITCHISON	AUS	1	-90
21	Bryan STARING	AUS	1	-90

[CLX]

Who else considers Melandri a serious contender?

[RatsMC]

Given how far he came from the back to take the win, I think anyone would have to consider him a contender. Honestly, watching him today was like watching an early Rossi (by that, I do not mean that Melandri is like Rossi, just that today he looked that in control and that joyful about riding)

I've got to say that Melandri and Lascorz have actually gotten me more excited about WSBK than I have been since 2002.

[Rusty Bucket USA]

And this, ladies and germs, is the biggest risk with a single-sided swingarm:

[xyx]

The spokes were actually sheared off at the hub:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnJdEFigY2I


Probably an old and perhaps crash damaged wheel re-used one time too many.

[Richo]

Have just finished watching the WSBK and WSS races. some entertainement there for sure. Firstly well done to Melandri and Checa, both excellent rides.

Secondly, what is going on with Biaggi? He was not having a good weekend was he? I can clearly see now why he never won a 500cc or MotoGP championship.

Also that wheel flying off the ducati was something else wasn't it? I dont think I have ever seen that before. Cant blame the rider for that one.

CLX, I agree and think Melandri is definately a serious contender this year. The R1 is fast and so is he, he seems to have got his mojo back which is great. He will have to contend with Checa though, so time will tell.

[Jonzie]

Melandri definitely showed everyone he's going to be a serious contender this year. Consider also that he still needs to get used to the superpole format and he's still not 100%fit. Had he started from the first row it could have been a double win.

Checa seems superstrong too. If I think about Fabrizio and Tardozzi complaining every other day last year about lack of power and the supposed handicap of the two cylinders... it makes me angry. Here is a guy who is racing with a bike at the end of its development, on a semi satellite team and still winning races.

Biaggi... well, these are the times when Biaggi's Fan's patience is put to the test. What the hell was wrong with him? Very nervous throughout the weekend, lots of mistakes and points thrown away. His pace wasn't that bad, had he not drove with his penis he could have brought home a couple of 4th - 5th places. Last year he won the championship like this, and after Miller only Haslam could be a contender. This year there seem to be at least two serious contenders and several other guys who seem strong enough to be in the mix (Haslam, the odd Kavasaki, Rea etc). If he doesn't get his shit together he can say good bye to this championship.

Strong pereformances of both Haslam and Camier, well done!
Looking forward to the next race.

[Faster1]

He did seem pretty nervous during the whole weekend so far, but I don't think he did anything wrong intentionally, on the contrary I didn't like the way Melandri came back to him. I think he's pushing the rivalry for media purposes. Italian media love this kind shit.

,,hmmmm,,, not sure where your going with that or I missed something, I get a half-assed SPEED TV 3/4 broadcast.,, IMO, the only thing wrong with Max (and I thought he grew up a little) was he assuming that everyone was going to make way for the emperor wearing #1. Melandri did all he could on a bike that is (supposed to be) slower that Biagi's. It just looked like MB's crew (and just as much Max's fault) totally eff'ed up the setting,, especially it light of his teammate, Leon, going so well in the second race. I was real disappointed at the video (thanks RATS)and if I were Marco,, I would have re-arranged Max's face if he were to give me a love slap like that... Any Italians out there who can translate the exchange???

I agree though, MM is a contender.

[RatsMC]

Biaggi was a mess this weekend. He was outbraking himself nearly every lap, running wide and losing places, over and over. That along with getting himself disqualified, I'm not sure how it could be argued that he didn't have a bad weekend.

[Jonzie]

,,hmmmm,,, not sure where your going with that or I missed something, I get a half-assed SPEED TV 3/4 broadcast.,, IMO, the only thing wrong with Max (and I thought he grew up a little) was he assuming that everyone was going to make way for the emperor wearing #1. Melandri did all he could on a bike that is (supposed to be) slower that Biagi's. It just looked like MB's crew (and just as much Max's fault) totally eff'ed up the setting,, especially it light of his teammate, Leon, going so well in the second race. I was real disappointed at the video (thanks RATS)and if I were Marco,, I would have re-arranged Max's face if he were to give me a love slap like that... Any Italians out there who can translate the exchange???

I agree though, MM is a contender.

I agree with you Faster, I just didn't explain myself appropriately. What I meant was that Max's manoeuvres was surely to condemn but still "possibly" non intentional, while the take of melandri on the next turn was surely intentional, in fact they were both sanctioned for that (Biaggi also got 3K fine for the slapping that happened later). Anyway he made a fool of himself during both race 1 and 2.
Let's hope he gets his s*** together for the sake of racing.

[motomania]

So, do I think Biaggi cut-off/slowed down Melandri intentionally on that last lap of that SuperPole session? Absolutely. Biaggi didn't do anything different there than he's done before in MotoGP. No, I can't remember specific tracks and times off the top of my head. But I do recall him playing the slow in the line game with other racers while they're on a hot qualifying lap on the last lap. I remember him being fined for those type of actions and on more than one occasion. I'll give Melandri credit for not doing anything. I'm of the mindset with Faster1, pull that crap with me with your little insulting slaps and you'd find yourself picking yourself up off the floor. I found it interesting that they also fined MM. Why because he rode up along Biaggi to ask let him know he was number 1 and a great guy for keeping MM from moving to the next SuperPole session? Biaggi hasn't changed, he's still the arrogant ass he's always been. He better be careful as I believe there's a few others in the WSBK paddock that won't respond as sweetly as MM did and the emporer could be obtaining dental services the next time he pulls something in the paddock like that.

My first reaction to the tire coming off was that some mechanic should lose their job over that happening for not safety wiring/cotter pinning that axle nut. After seeing/learning later that the wheel actually snapped from the center hub, he got his job back. A bizarre incident no doubt.

[RatsMC]

So, Melandri is the first rider to win a race in 125, 250, MotoGP and WSBK. Quite an accomplishment. But, as Dennis Noyes points out, Rossi, if he were to win in the 1000cc era and then go to WSBK and win, would hold wins in 125, 250, 500cc, 990cc, 800cc and 1000cc.

I've not cared much about Rossi's talk about going to WSBK but I think Melandri might have just set a line in the sand that Rossi will not be able to resist.

[Pete47]

After all the hype leading up to MotoGP and F1 this year I have to say I'm loving the WSB so far, looks like we could be in for a great year. Everyone would like to see Checa do well, nice bit of needle between Melandri and Biaggi to spice things up, Camier looks good on the Aprilia and will be a force this year especially when he's fit again, Haslam looks like a challenger once the BMW gets sorted, it's great to see the green bikes up there again with Lascorz and Sykes. Throw in Rea, Laverty, Haga, Smrz etc and there will be some interesting races this year with lots of different winning bikes and riders, what more could you ask for? MotoGP might well be the pinnacle but I think everyone would admit the races can be (whisper it) a bit dull. As a fan this is what we want to see.

On a different note, and I don't wish to be unkind but..... what has happened to Checa's face? Is there something wrong or is that the worst facelift in history? He can hardly close his mouth, he looks like Cher.....

[Tormo4ever]

Who wouldn t like to see Checa take it?


MM did the right thing. The amazing thing is Biaggi conducts himself like he s Mike Tyson. They guy s basically a midget!

Mind you, MM isn t exactly nba center material - oh well, not sure the outcome of this encounter would ve been the same had the cameras not been there.

[RatsMC]

Ooh..look carefully:

[Richo]

That is an incredible photo, perfect timing. I wonder what the rider must be thinking about now... mmm something doesn't feel quite right.

[carty]

I was pretty sure when watching it that the rider whose wheel fubar'd itself was hit from behind around the apex of the corner, just before the wheel split- anyone else see the same?