2012 Moscow WSBK Race One: Slicks On A Drying Track

Submitted by Jared Earle on Sun, 2012-08-26 09:02
in

After overnight rain, the track was damp with a single dry line. Most of the riders were on slicks, which proved to be the right choice.

Tom Sykes got the lead into the first turn and wasn't touched for the entire race as he managed what was a three second lead, after just four laps, for the entire race. Behind him, there was plenty of action as Leon Haslam and Eugene Laverty passed Carlos Checa at the start and were joined by Davide Giugliano and Jonathan Rea.

Checa was passed by Giugliano three laps in and left a gap on the last corner that Rea was able to fill, but with contact between the riders, Checa crashed out. Giugliano was the only Ducati left at the front, and almost every time he got to the back straight, he was passed with ease by the four cylinder bikes. and the single line through the slow corners meant he couldn't pass back and break free. At mid race distance, Giugliano would crash out, losing the front, just three laps after Rea loses the front from third place.

Chaz Davies and Leon Haslam had a coming together the ended off the track for both of them, but they were able to get their bikes back on the track. Melandri by this time had carved through the field to get to second place and Davies managed to regroup and catch and pass Laverty only to run on and catch astroturf to end his solid race performance with a DNF.

Laverty's third place wouldn't last either as he nursed a shot tyre to the end and Biaggi just eked past him at the last corner for third.

Sykes ran a lonely and competent race, even as his tyre started to fade at the end. Melandri finished in second, but had to miss the press conference suffering from faintness. Biaggi kept his championship lead taking advantage of the attrition ahead of him.

Results:

Pos No. Rider Bike Time Diff
1 66 SYKES T Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'37.154  
2 33 MELANDRI M BMW S1000 RR 1'36.949 8.878
3 3 BIAGGI M Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'37.236 12.603
4 58 LAVERTY E Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'36.993 13.027
5 84 FABRIZIO M BMW S1000 RR 1'38.050 29.582
6 91 HASLAM L BMW S1000 RR 1'36.729 30.587
7 59 CANEPA N Ducati 1098R 1'38.552 32.170
8 87 ZANETTI L Ducati 1098R 1'38.165 34.704
9 21 HOPKINS J Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'37.923 40.366
10 44 SALOM D Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'38.057 41.143
11 76 BAZ L Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'37.755 44.363
12 86 BADOVINI A BMW S1000 RR 1'38.121 47.813
13 4 AOYAMA H Honda CBR1000RR 1'38.618 52.650
14 5 LUNDH A Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'39.698 1'20.273
15 2 CAMIER L Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'37.405 2 Laps
16 69 MCFADDEN D Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'41.319 3 Laps
RET 19 DAVIES C Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'36.935 2 Laps
RET 34 GIUGLIANO D Ducati 1098R 1'37.075 12 Laps
RET 65 REA J Honda CBR1000RR 1'37.480 15 Laps
RET 7 CHECA C Ducati 1098R 1'42.858 23 Laps
RET 50 GUINTOLI S Ducati 1098R 1'42.043 23 Laps
           

 

Round Number: 
11
2012

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