eni FIM Superbike World Championship Nurburgring, Germany September 1, 2013 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Chaz DAVIES, UK (BMW S1000RR), 18 laps, 34:36.933 2. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -0.132 second 3. Marco MELANDRI, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -0.366 4. Tom SYKES, UK (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -1.189 seconds 5. Sylvain GUINTOLI, France (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -1.621 6. Davide GIUGLIANO, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -3.233 7. Ayrton BADOVINI, Italy (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), -14.677 8. Michel FABRIZIO, Italy (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -18.859 9. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Germany (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), -22.125 10. Carlos CHECA, Spain (Ducati 1199 Panigale R), -23.828 11. Mark AITCHISON, Australia (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -30.444 12. Markus REITERBERGER, Germany (BMW S1000RR), -36.419 13. Leon HASLAM, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), -59.787, crash 14. Jules CLUZEL, France (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -65.331, ran off track 15. Vittorio IANNUZZO, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -87.381, ran off track 16. Matej SMRZ, Czech Republic (Yamaha YZF-R1), -53.782, DNF, crash 17. Federico SANDI, Italy (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -17 laps, DNF, mechanical 18. Leon CAMIER, UK (Suzuki GSX-R1000), DNS 19. Jonathan REA, UK (Honda CBR1000RR), DNS 20. Loris BAZ, France (Kawasaki ZX-10R), DNS World Championship Point Standings (after 20 of 28 races): 1. Sykes, 287 points 2. Guintoli, 286 3. Melandri, 257 4. Laverty, 247 5. Davies, 221 6. Baz, 180 7. Rea, 176 8. Fabrizio, 156 9. Cluzel, 123 10. Giugliano, 121 More, from a press release issued by SBK Press Office: Chaz Davies wins as Sykes is new leader Nurburgring (Germany), Sunday 1 September 2013 – Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) got back on the top step of the podium after winning the second race of the day, that was red-flagged on the nineteenth lap after One Event rider Matej Smrz (Yamaha Motor Deutschland) suffered a high-side and landed on track next to his YZF-R1, laying some oil on the tarmac. The Welshman successfully defended the lead in the final laps in a three-way battle with second place Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) and team mate Marco Melandri. Davies was able to repeat exactly the same results scored last year in the two races, and achieved a long-awaited win after the double at Aragon earlier in 2013. Despite the absence of three top riders due to injuries sustained today – Loris Baz during the warm-up, Leon Camier and Jonathan Rea in first race – Race 2 was characterised by a fierce battle up front for the win. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) finished fourth and fifth respectively, after being very close to the front for most of the 18 laps completed. The two riders, though, could not manage to get in the mix for the top-3, as well as sixth place Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Team Aprilia), who lost a lot of ground in the closing stages. Top-10 was completed by Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare), Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Aprilia) and Max Neukirchner (MR-Racing Ducati), with Badovini’s team mate Carlos Checa in eleventh place. Jules Cluzel’s performance was hampered by a temporary technical problem, as the FIXI Crescent Suzuki rider was able to rejoin and to end up fifteenth. Sykes and Guintoli are still separated by one point, but the factory Kawasaki rider is now the new leader in the standings, at the end of the tenth round of the season. Results: 1. Davies (BMW) 18 Laps/92.466 km in 34’36.933 average 160.274 kph; 2. Laverty (Aprilia) 0.132; 3. Melandri (BMW) 0.366; 4. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1.189; 5. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1.621; 6. Giugliano (Aprilia) 3.233; 7. Badovini (Ducati) 14.677; 8. Fabrizio (Aprilia) 18.859; 9. Neukirchner (Ducati) 22.125; 10. Checa (Ducati) 23.828; 11. Aitchison (Kawasaki) 30.444; 12. Reiterberger (BMW) 36.419; 13. Haslam (Honda) 59.787; 14. Cluzel (Suzuki) 1’05.331; 15. Iannuzzo (BMW) 1’27.381; RT. Smrz (Yamaha) 53.782; RT. Sandi (Kawasaki). Standings – provisional (round 10 of 14)*: 1. Sykes 287; 2. Guintoli 286; 3. Melandri 257; 4. Laverty 247; 5. Davies 221; 6. Baz 180; 7. Rea 176; 8. Fabrizio 156; 9. Cluzel 123; 10. Giugliano 121; 11. Camier 114; 12. Badovini 107; 13. Neukirchner 84; 14. Checa 80; 15. Haslam 63; 16. Sandi 36; 17. Iannuzzo 18; 18. Clementi 18; 19. Aitchison 15; 20. Canepa 11; 21. Lundh 10; 22. Lai 8; 23. Reiterberger 7; 24. Allerton 6; 25. Smrz 4; 26. Stauffer 4; 27. Akiyoshi 2; 28. Haga 2. Manufacturers 1. Aprilia 369; 2. Kawasaki 341; 3. BMW 321; 4. Honda 201; 5. Suzuki 175; 6. Ducati 144; 7. Yamaha 4. * Possible updated results could be defined by the International Disciplinary Court which is dealing with the appeal lodged by Aprilia Racing Team and rider Sylvain Guintoli, following the decision taken by the FIM Stewards in Monza (Italian Round, last 12 May) to cancel the drop of position sanction (from third to fourth place in race 2) imposed by the Race Direction on rider Tom Sykes World Supersport Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha) has scored probably the most important win of the season so far, as he crossed the line a lonely first at the Nurburgring , while main rival for the World Supersport title Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki) was out of contention from Lap 10, after crashing out of the second turn. Lowes didn’t get the best start off pole but in two laps he was able… (read more) Results: 1. Lowes (Yamaha) 19 Laps/97.603 km in 37’44.290 average 155.179 kph; 2. Foret (Kawasaki) 7.481; 3. Coghlan (Kawasaki) 11.393; 4. Zanetti (Honda) 12.250; 5. Vd Mark (Honda) 15.408; 6. Russo (Kawasaki) 16.243; 7. Tamburini (Honda) 16.338; 8. Kennedy (Honda) 20.086; 9. Salom (Kawasaki) 21.569; 10. Marino (Kawasaki) 21.837; 11. Baldolini (Suzuki) 22.195; 12. Iddon (MV Agusta) 30.430; 13. Scassa (Kawasaki) 30.539; 14. De Rosa (Honda) 31.371; 15. Rolfo (MV Agusta) 34.214; etc. Standings (round 10 out of 13): 1. Lowes 185; 2. Sofuoglu 131; 3. Foret 121; 4. Vd Mark 91; 5. Zanetti 86; 6. Scassa 69; 7. Kennedy 64; 8. Antonelli 55; 9. Marino 53; 10. Coghlan 51; 11. Rolfo 51; 12. Leonov 48; 13. Russo 38; 14. Morais 36; 15. Iddon 29; 16. Baldolini 24; 17. Salom 19; 18. Ivanov 18; 19. De Rosa 18; 20. Roccoli 18; 21. Tamburini 17; 22. Marconi 17; 23. Richards 6; 24. Scholtz 6; 25. Talmacsi 4; 26. Menghi 3; 27. Linortner 2. Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 200; 2. Yamaha 193; 3. Honda 126; 4. MV Agusta 61; 5. Suzuki 26; 6. Triumph 6. More, from a press release issued by Team SBK Ducati Alstare: Four top-ten results for Team SBK Ducati Alstare in today’s Superbike races at the Ring Nürburgring (Germany), Sunday 1 September 2013: highs and lows for Team SBK Ducati Alstare during round 10 of the 2013 World Superbike championship this weekend at the Nürburgring. After scoring pole position yesterday, Ayrton Badovini finished today’s races in seventh and ninth place, Carlos Checa crossed the line tenth. Race 1 – the first race took place in cold but dry conditions (air temp 14°C, track 21°C). Starting from pole for the first time in his Superbike career, Ayrton lost several positions through the first corners, placing eleventh by lap two. Followed by his team-mate Carlos, twelfth, who was able to make up a number of positions in the opening stages, the two Ducati Alstare men maintained those positions for the best part of the race. The race was brought to an early close by Race Direction when Rea and Camier were the victims of a bad accident two laps from the end. As a result, Badovini closed in final ninth position, Checa just behind him in tenth. Race 2 – With less riders taking part after race one’s incident, Carlos started from fifteenth on the grid this time around. He was up in eleventh place after one lap and his position remained as such for almost the entire race. Despite fighting to catch first Cluzel and later Neukirchner, he was unable to pass them and thus closed the race in tenth place. Ayrton made a better start than he did in race one and was able to maintain a strong pace for the duration of the race. By lap six he was in seventh position behind Giugliano, a position that he was able to hold until the line. Ayrton Badovini: “Unfortunately in the first race I lost too much ground in the first laps and many guys got past me. I was having trouble and made some mistakes too. For race 2 we made a small change to the bike and I decided to approach it with a different mentality and take things more calmly. It worked because I was able to be more precise, more consistent lap after lap. I’m pleased because besides the result, seventh, the important thing was that I was able to close the overall gap between myself and the leaders. All in all it’s been a positive weekend, one of the best we’ve had so far.” Carlos Checa: “What can I say, the results speak for themselves. We made changes between race one and two but unfortunately this didn’t make a great deal of difference. I’ve had trouble getting the right balance with the bike this weekend. Contrary to Misano, where testing went pretty well, here I’ve had some problems. I don’t know, maybe I’ve lost some of the confidence I had in Misano. We’ve made modifications during the weekend but perhaps I haven’t been able to interpret them properly. The team has worked well and I hope we can find a better set-up with which we can improve our results in the next races.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes Wins First German Race And Regains The Championship Lead WSBK, Nürburgring, Germany, 1 September 2013 Tom Sykes took his official Kawasaki Racing Team Ninja ZX-10R to a win and a fourth place finish at the Nürburgring to regain the championship lead after a raceday that Loris Baz was forced out of In race one Sykes was the leader for every lap in the final race classification, and although he had been passed by Marco Melandri near the end of the scheduled 20 laps, the red flag was shown for an oil spill and two subsequent crashes just behind the leading trio. Sykes was awarded the race one win on the count back rules, which discount the lap the race was stopped on. As he was the leader on lap 17, Tom took the win. In race two Sykes found his machine set-up not quite as effective as it had been in race one and although he was in the leading group throughout he could not get to the front. Another red flag, for a crashed machine’s spilt oil, stopped the race at the 18-lap stage this time, with Sykes fourth and only 1.189 seconds behind the winner. KRT rider Loris Baz had been on strong form all weekend but suffered a high-speed crash going into the final chicane in morning warm-up. He was taken to hospital where it was found he had suffered a fractured C2 vertebra but without suffering any neurological complications or spinal injury. After reaching hospital he was awake, alert and making jokes with his medical team. He will remain in hospital in Germany for 24 Hours to allow a specialist to see him on Monday. A decision will be taken then to see if he needs further treatment or just time to rest and recuperate. Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) finished each Nürburgring race in 11th place. Federico Sandi (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) did not finish either German race. In the championship fight Sykes now leads Sylvain Guintoli by one point, 287 to 286, with four rounds and eight races remaining. Leandro Mercado (Kawasaki Team Pedercini) scored his first ever win in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup category in the 11-lap race in Germany and in doing so is now third in the championship, with two races remaining. Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Kawasaki) took fourth place today while Romain Lanusse (Team MRS Kawasaki) went fifth. Tom Sykes: “It is very difficult to tell if I could have come back at Marco in the last two laps of race one but when he passed me I was preparing to push the pace a bit more. I am sure all three or four of us in the front group were able to improve our lap times right at the end but the decision to stop the race has gone in our favour for a change. I will take the result and I am very happy for the 25 points. It was the first time all weekend we have had a small issue with the bike set-up. I went to bed last night expecting probably a few more points in race two but it is racing and things like this happen. It seems that we had some limitations in that race, which is a shame because over race distance I was 100% confident in myself, in the Ninja ZX-10R that we could make 1’54 laps even at the end. We proved that through practice this weekend. I think we know where we can improve and I am very happy to have the people around me that I have. It was important to keep Sylvain Guintoli behind me in that second race as we saw how every point counts last year. It adds to the end of season points basket and after this weekend we are leading the championship again.” More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: Two strong results for team Althea at the Nurburgring Round ten of the World Superbike championship took place today at the German Nurburgring. In today’s two races, Davide Giugliano started from the fifth row, in fourteenth position. Not a great starting position, mainly down to the rain that fell at the start of yesterday’s Superpole and that ruined the plans of Genesio Bevilacqua’s team. In race 1 Giugliano made a good start and after running the first laps in tenth position, he was able to climb to sixth place by mid-race. The race was stopped with a red flag two laps from the end when Rea and Camier were involved in an accident. Giugliano concluded race one in fifth position. In race the Althea rider made a fantastic start and was already in sixth place by the end of the opening lap, just behind the leaders. With a constant, fast pace, Giugliano held that position until two laps from the end when the race was again stopped with a red flag due to another accident, this time involving Smrz. Final sixth position for Davide Giugliano. The next World Superbike round will take place in Istanbul on 15 September. Davide Giugliano: “Race one went quite well. To start from the fifth row and finish inside the first five or six positions isn’t easy in such a competitive World Superbike championship. In the final stages of race one I was slowed down by a few small problems and so preferred not to push and risk a crash. In race two I made a great start and tried to do all I could to stay with the leaders. I’m pleased with my performance today and it boosts my morale for the next races. After the results of Silverstone I needed to regain faith in my abilities. I thank my team that has worked so hard and provided me with such a high-performing bike.” Genesio Bevilacqua: “In race one Giugliano, starting from the fifth row, had some trouble sticking with the fastest riders and the red flag that ended the race meant that we closed in fifth position. The positive aspect of the second race is that Davide consistently lapped as fast as the leaders and was able to catch the front group, keeping up with factory riders and bikes. We expected more from this weekend, but the grid position penalized us. It certainly wasn’t a disappointing weekend but as a team we want some strong results, a ray of light.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier was challenging for a great finish in race one of today’s eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Nurburgring until a massive crash brought his race and weekend to a premature end. Starting from 10th on the grid Camier got a solid start and was ninth at the end of the first-lap. He then caught and passed Leon Haslam and Davide Giugliano to make his way up to sixth, but as the Englishman was sizing-up to pass Sylvain Guintoli for fifth position, he hit a patch of oil on the track that had spilled from a recently-crashed bike. He lost control of his machine in the high-speed left-hander and crashed hard and was immediately assessed at trackside by the medical staff and was then flown by Air Ambulance to Stiffungs Klinicum in Koblenz. Camier was observed and scanned for potential neck injuries, but the scans proved negative and he was given the all-clear despite the massive impact. He hopes to leave hospital later today and will assess his condition in the coming days to decide on his availability to ride at the next race. Jonathan Rea of the Pata Honda team also crashed at the same spot as Camier, due to the spilt oil. He was airlifted to hospital with a broken left femur and the whole FIXI Crescent Suzuki team wishes him well for a speedy recovery. The race was red-flagged after the crash and due to Camier’s inability to return to the pits he was excluded from the results. Jules Cluzel had a tough afternoon that resulted in an eighth place in race one and a 14th in the second event after he was forced to stop when the bike cut-out on lap-16. Cluzel had to pull-off the track to re-start his machine and managed to finish the race in a points-scoring position, but was not too happy with his weekend’s work. The Yoshimura-powered FIXI Crescent Suzuki will next be in action at Istanbul Park when World Superbikes makes its first visit to Turkey on the weekend of September 13th and 15th. Jules Cluzel: “It has been a hard weekend for us, but we learnt a lot in race one and I was looking for some more improvements in the second race. I felt quite good for the first four or five laps of race one, but when my tyre dropped, the bike felt unstable and was difficult to ride, so I was quite happy to get eighth. The second race was similar to the first, but I had a massive high-side and nearly crashed on the first lap, so I realised the grip was less than race one and I tried to do my best – but it was really hard. We improved a bit with the stability out of the turns, so this is a good point and we don’t have to forget this weekend because we have to work after this and learn. I was disappointed at the end of the race, because I think I could have got eighth or ninth, but the bike stopped due to an electronic problem, so I pulled-over and managed to restart and I finished much lower than I wanted to. It was a bit of a bad weekend, but Leon had more bad luck and I hope he is ok and he can come back soon and we can fight together at a good pace in the next race.” Paul Denning – Team Manager: “At Silverstone earlier this month the FIXI Crescent Suzuki showed its potential and again here Leon raced right on the pace of the podium battle, but the frightening accident with two laps to go in race one, put everything into perspective and meant that our only focus was on Leon’s condition – which initially was very concerning. It’s important to be calm in these situations, but we do have concerns as to why the bike that caused the oil slick was even out there on the track, given certain information that we have, and why there wasn’t clear warning of the oil for the approaching riders or even a red flag – as there was in race two. We’ll speak to the Race Direction to see if these matters can be explained and hopefully improved in the future. The team is relieved that Leon’s injuries don’t appear to be too serious, but we also send our best wishes to Johnny Rea who also through no fault of his own was involved in the crash. “Looking forward, Jules has raced at the Istanbul Park circuit in the MotoGP™ series and loves the track and we hope that we will be able to put what was a tough couple of races behind him and get back to the rhythm of the fastest riders in Turkey. As for Leon, we will make sure that he is able to recover sufficiently and we will make an announcement as soon as possible regarding his participation. We all really hope he’ll be there; he is getting everything out of the GSX-R and challenging the best riders and teams out there.” More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: TWO RED FLAGS IN THE PENULTIMATE LAP STOP THE RACES ON THE NÜRBURGRING. SECOND PLACE IN RACE 2 FOR EUGENE LAVERTY WHO WAS MAKING A PLAY FOR THE LEAD WHEN THE RACE WAS STOPPED. WITH A FOURTH AND FIFTH PLACE FINISH SYLVAIN GUINTOLI LIMITS THE DAMAGE AND STAYS CLOSE TO THE LEAD IN THE RIDER STANDINGS. APRILIA CONTINUES TO LEAD THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP. Nürburgring, 1 September 2013 – Two red flags due to oil on the track, both during the penultimate lap, stopped the World Superbike races at the Nürburgring. A blown out engine for Sandi first and a crash by Smrz in the second forced Race Direction to end the competitions a lap early. While the finishing order had all but been decided when Race 1 was suspended, in the second race the duels between Davies and Eugene Laverty for first place and between Sylvain Guintoli and Sykes for fourth place were just heating up. In fact, the red flag kept the Aprilia Racing Team standard bearers from a direct attack on their rivals at the chequered flag. After a difficult Superpole Sylvain Guintoli got off to a good start in both races, immediately gaining positions. After successfully fending off attacks by Giugliano and Camier, Sylvain’s race for the podium stopped short at fourth place in Race 1. In the penultimate lap an oil leak caused Rea and Camier to crash, unfortunately injured in the accident, putting an end to the race and deciding the finishing order. Race 2 followed a similar script, at least in the first part. With an excellent start followed by a series of fast laps, the French rider had closed the gap with the leading pack, nipping at Sykes’ heels during the final laps. Just as the duel was about to start in earnest, a crash by wild card Smrz with fluids leaking onto the track from his bike put an end to the race a lap early. Thanks to his fifth place finish, Sylvain is now in second place in the rider standings, just one point behind Sykes. Sylvain Guintoli: “This was a difficult weekend on a very physical track. In Race 1 I couldn’t find my rhythm in the first laps, dropping behind the leaders and having to ride alone, fending off attacks. In Race 2 the changes we made to my RSV4 really worked well. I pushed hard to catch Sykes up and when I did my plan was to attack in the last lap, but unfortunately the red flag stopped the race. My only consolation is that my shoulder responded well. I was able to push hard all the way to the end in both races without serious problems. It hurts now, but as long as I’m on the bike everything is OK. We’ll go to Turkey as pursuers, but it’s a track that I like where I think I can make a good play for it just as well as the other four or five riders who have proven to be consistently fast” It was a double-sided weekend for Eugene Laverty. Starting from the twelfth spot on the grid, the Northern Irish rider also had two good starts. However, his comeback in Race 1 was interrupted in the fourth lap when a crash forced him to head back to the garage. After the damage to his bike was repaired Eugene went back out, ending the race in fifteenth place and earning one point. In Race 2 Eugene unleashed his potential from the start, reaching the podium range within a few laps where he engaged in battle first with Sykes and then with Melandri, overtaking them both and setting his sights on frontrunner Davies. All signs pointed to an assault in the final laps, just when the red flag that ratified a second place finish for Eugene came out. Eugene Laverty: “It was a shame about the red flag in Race 2 when I was about to attack Chaz Davies for first place. I’m not saying I would have won it, but I would have had a go. The crash in Race 1 created a bit of a mess. I want to battle for the Championship and mistakes like that one can be costly. When you start so far back on the grid there’s a lot more pressure and with that comes the risk of making some mistakes. We definitely will not be able to make any more slip ups for the rest of the season. All told we haven’t lost too much ground behind the Championship leaders but we’ve got a hard battle ahead.” Aprilia leads the manufacturer championship with 369 points in front of Kawasaki (341), BMW (321), Honda (201), Suzuki (175), Ducati (144) and Yamaha (4). More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Weather conditions: Overcast. Temperature: Air: 14 – 20 °C, Track: 21 – 31 °C Number of riders participating: 19/17 from 13 teams Fastest lap Race 1: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 1:54.594 min (lap 8) Fastest lap Race 2: Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team) 1:54.703 min (lap 9) The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team celebrated a successful home round at Nürburgring (GER), including a victory and four podium finishes in total. Factory rider Chaz Davies (GBR) won the second of today’s races with his BMW S 1000 RR after finishing third in race one. His team-mate Marco Melandri (ITA) finished second and third. Thus, the team set a new record: for the first time ever in the FIM Superbike World Championship, BMW Motorrad had both riders on the podium in both races. In addition, Chaz claimed the fastest lap in race two. Collectively, Chaz and Marco achieved 77 points today, equaling the best ever result of BMW Motorrad in the series. After ten of 14 rounds of the season, the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team is second in the Team standings with 478 points. In the Riders’ classification, Marco improved to third with 257 points, reducing the gap to the front to 30 points. Chaz is fifth with 221 points, 66 points behind the lead. In the Manufacturers’ ranking, BMW is third with 321 points and a gap of 48 points to the top. In race one, both BMW factory riders had a good start to lay the foundations for a strong result. Marco, who came from second, took the lead shortly but then dropped back to second when he was overtaken by Tom Sykes (GBR). Chaz, who started from sixth, moved to third at the first corner. Throughout the race, both riders stayed in touch with race leader, Sykes. On lap 13, Chaz passed Marco to take second but two laps later Marco returned the favour. The BMW duo caught up with Sykes and in the first corner of the penultimate lap, Marco passed him to take the lead. Chaz also prepared for overtaking his fellow Brit but then the race had to be red-flagged after Jonathan Rea and Leon Camier (both GBR) had heavily crashed due to oil on the track. Thus, the ranking from the previous lap counted as the final race result, with Sykes classified the winner in front of Marco and Chaz. Race two was another thriller, with a BMW rider leading from the start to the end. It was a nail-biting fight for victory, with the top 6 close together in battle. Marco took the lead at the start, while Chaz moved to second straight away. The BMW Duo were closely followed by their competitors but also fought for P1 between themselves. On lap 7, Chaz took the lead while Marco slipped back to third on lap 10 as he was passed by Eugene Laverty (IRL). However, the Italian fought back and by the end of lap 14, entering lap 15 Marco took just a few corners to pass Laverty and then Chaz and to retake the lead. The fight was not over, as Chaz passed his team-mate again on lap 16, heading the field for the second time in this race. On lap 18, Marco lost second position to Laverty but everything was still open as the gaps were minimal. One lap later, this race also had to be red flagged due to a crash. Chaz won, Laverty was came second and Marco was third on the podium. In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, Sylvain Barrier from the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team extended his lead in the overall Riders’ classification. The Frenchman finished today’s exciting race second on the podium with his BMW HP4, missing victory only by one tenth of a second. With two more rounds to go, Sylvain now tops the ranking with 165 points and has an advantage of 40 points to his closest rival. His team-mate Greg Gildenhuys (RSA) finished 11th. In the Manufacturers’ classification, BMW leads with an advantage of 28 points. Chaz Davies: Result Race 1: 3rd / Gap to 1st: 0:00.714 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:54.680 min (lap 5) Result Race 2: 1st / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:54.703 min (lap 9) “I am obviously super happy with the victory in race two. I was already happy with my podium in race one but I knew we could improve and so we did. In race one, I made the start I was hoping for coming from the second row of the grid and I was racing in the leading group with Marco and Tom. In the early stages, Tom put some really good pace at the front. Generally, the bike was working really well as it has done all weekend. We were just slightly struggling in a couple of areas which cost me a bit on acceleration but we worked on that for race two. We definitely made a step in the right direction. I felt that my RR was a little bit better in certain areas of the track. It was still hard to brake but I tried all I could do to build a bit of a gap. It was a good battle with Eugene and Marco. The last couple of laps I just put my head down seeing if I could just get away from the guys fighting behind me. I was thinking that there couldn’t be another red flag but just in case I tried to stay in the lead. In the end the red flag came and I was in right place at the right time. A big Thank you to my team; they did a great job this weekend and we got a double podium again. I wish all the best and a speedy recovery to the guys that got injured today.” Marco Melandri: Result Race 1: 2nd / Gap to 1st: 0:00.269 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:54.692 min (lap 4) Result Race 2: 3rd / Gap to 1st: 0:00.366 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:54.846 min (lap 9) “I’ve never seen a red flag at the end of both races in my life. It was a shame because in race one I was leading and race two I was third but I am sure that it would have been a great final lap because all three of us were trying to win and everyone was pushing hard. The red flag was not on my side today and as a consequence I had no chance to make use of the opportunities we had and this is frustrating, but these are the rules. I am so sorry for the guys that crashed and got injured because they had much more bad luck than me. All the best and a speedy recovery to all of them! For sure I can be happy because we have shown that we are strong but at the same time I am disappointed because I did not get as many points as I could have. The championship is still very open and I have reduced the gap to the front. So in general it was a good weekend for us and we are looking forward to the next rounds. Now we are going to tracks that I really like and I am sure that today’s disappointment will only give me even more motivation.” Andrea Buzzoni (General Manager BMW Motorrad WSBK): “It has been an extraordinary weekend. For the first time in the history of BMW in the Superbike World Championship, we got a ‘double, double podium’ and we are honoured to have achieved this success at BMW’s home race. The result confirms that the team is continuing to work hard and retain concentration to achieve the best possible result in this championship. With today’s victory, the sixth of the season, we matched last year’s number of wins. Both Marco and Chaz are consistently reducing the gap to the top of the overall ranking and they also demonstrated that they are able to fight for the title. This shows the strength of BMW, of the team and of our guys. In the Superstock series, the team did a great job and Sylvain demonstrated great maturity. He had a difficult start but was able to close the gap and manage the race, achieving an important second place which brings him closer and closer to the title.” Andrea Dosoli (Technical Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team): “It has been a great day. Both races were very exciting and we got almost the maximum we could expect having both riders on the podium in both races. This was the right way to respond after the issues we experienced in Silverstone and I must say a big thank you to everyone at BMW Motorrad and in the team for the great job they have done. Both crews have worked very well on improving the machines. Practice by practice we went faster in the dry and in the wet. Only unlucky circumstances prevented us from winning both races but this is racing and what we have achieved today is important. We have closed the gap to our competitors and we have proven that our RR is improving and is a winning package. So now we are looking forward to the next races with strong motivation. Everyone is focused knowing that we have the right package to win as many races as possible.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: 2013 FIM SUPERBIKE / SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 10, NÜRBURGRING, GERMANY SUNDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2013 PREVIEW REA AND HASLAM RARING TO GO AGAIN AFTER SUMMER BREAK The famous Nürburgring circuit in Germany hosts the tenth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship this coming weekend and for Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) it will offer up an opportunity to add another race victory to his very recent Silverstone success. Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) is still looking for his first podium finish of 2013, after suffering a serious left leg injury at the third round of the season at Assen. Since then Haslam has made constant improvement, to the level of winning the Suzuka 8-Hour endurance race in Japan in July, and now his desire is to turn his recovery into measurable success in the FIM Superbike World Championship, starting this weekend. Rea is currently seventh in the championship, only four points adrift of the two riders who are tied on points ahead of him. Two strong races, around a Nürburgring layout he is clearly a fan of, could improve his championship placing in a significant fashion. Injury and recovery have taken a toll on Haslam’s expected points tally but in Germany he is determined to get what is effectively his second start to the season underway in a positive manner. Action will soon get underway after a long summer break in competition, but from now on the rounds come thick and fast, with races in Germany, Turkey, the USA and France all packed into the next few weeks. After the cancellation of the planned season finale in India, the final round of the series will take place at Jerez in Spain on October 20, making the championship 14 rounds long, not 15. VAN DER MARK AND ZANETTI AIMING HIGH AGAIN AS SEASON RESTARTS The tenth round of the 2013 FIM Supersport World Championship is about to offer Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) and Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) another opportunity to secure podium finishes, in what has been a tough but sometime rewarding season for both lead Honda riders. Van der Mark started his first full year in WSS with two podiums, while Zanetti placed third at the Monza round and has flirted with top three finishes at some subsequent races. After disappointing points scores at the previous round at Silverstone, at the beginning of August, the Pata Honda pairing want to get back to full competitiveness at a crucial time of the year. Currently Van der Mark is fourth in the overall rankings, Zanetti fifth, with Lorenzo only seven points behind his team-mate. Lorenzo is still recovering from hand and leg injuries but he is very close to full fitness as the championship restarts after a three-week break. Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda) has made use of his track action downtime to work on his general training regime and strengthen his injured right knee, hurt but not fractured, after hitting a trackside rumble strip during practice at Portimao in June. Another fast and focused rookie, Irishman Kennedy will meet yet another circuit he only knows from video footage when he starts free practice at the Nürburgring on Friday. Luca Marconi (PTR Honda) has had time to recover from a nasty right arm fracture during the summer break and he now heads to Germany ready to fight for his best individual performance of the year, which would mean taking a ninth place finish or better this coming race weekend. Raffaele De Rosa (Team Lorini Honda) heads to Germany keen to consolidate his top 20 championship placing while Roberto Tamburini (Team Lorini Honda) will try to gain more points after finishing a strong 12th at Silverstone. South African Ronan Quarmby (PRORACE Honda) will once more substitute for the injured Hungarian star Gabor Talmacsi, confident he can fight for a place well inside the points if practice and qualifying goes to plan. Former Moto3 rider Danny Webb (PTR Honda) is a new addition to his British team and he will replace Sheridan Morais, who has recently been released from his contract. Imre Toth (Racing Team Toth Honda) and his team-mate Alex Schacht continue the Honda challenge for points in 2013 as does David Linortner (Team Honda PTR) and Matt Davies (Team Honda PTR). Eduard Blokhin (Rivamoto Honda) is also looking for his first points of 2013 in Germany. Balasz Nemeth (Complus SMS Racing Honda) and Nacho Calero Perez (Honda PTR) are in a similar position in what is a heavily subscribed season in WSS racing. After the Nürburgring round has been completed Istanbul Park in Turkey will host its first ever Superbike and Supersport race meeting, on Sunday September 15. HONDA RIDER COMMENTS: Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) “I’m feeling good, with recharged batteries after the summer break, and I’m really excited at the prospect of riding my bike again this weekend. I really like going to the Nürburgring and it’s a nice circuit to come back to after a few weeks off. It’s both technical and fast flowing, which I really enjoy. Hopefully, the guys back at the workshop have had some good downtime, too, because now it’s time to go back to work. I’m looking forward to free practice on Friday and hopefully we can carry on our recent form.” Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) “The summer break has gone quickly. My wife had a little boy early on in the break and it is all good there. I did not manage to get an operation to remove the screws in my left leg but we have been working hard to get the muscles back to where they should be. It is ten times better than it was so it is all looking good for this one. Our pace was not so far off at Silverstone but after so many back-to-back races before then my leg was feeling a little bit over-used. I am looking forward to Germany because, in a way, I need to start my season. I have never had a year where I was not on the podium and I feel in some ways that I have not had a race this year. Now I need to get back to where I should be, and hopefully we can do that this weekend in Germany.” Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) “I feel good and I think that we should meet some tracks I really like soon, and try to fight for the podium again. It was too long ago that I was last there. We started with two and then did not have any more since then. I think my biggest target now is to gather more top three finishes. It is my first year in this class so I am focused more on top threes than the championship position. I know that is important too, and we are in a good place in fourth, but I am looking race-by-race now. Things feel good on the bike and we have a good base, so now we can just work on the set-up at each track.” Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) “I had a good summer break but there was a lot of hard training to help my recovery and my overall conditioning. Every day I did real training. My injured hand is not 100% but it is much better and I feel that for the last part of the season I should be in good condition. Nürburgring is a nice track to be racing at next and for that I am happy. I finished a Superbike race there last year in eighth place so it is one of my favourite circuits.” Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda) “My knee is not perfect but I am training away at 100% even though it still gives me a bit of bother. I have used the summer break to get even fitter, if that is possible. The guys have been working on the bike round-by-round and in Silverstone it was the best the bike has been, so I hope we can keep moving in that direction. In Germany it will be another learning weekend but I want to be as quick as I can, as soon as I can.” Luca Marconi (PTR Honda) “Now my right arm is working OK after my big crash earlier in the year so I hope to get back inside the top ten in Germany. My arm is not 100% still but much better than at Silverstone because I have had three weeks of training and recovery since then. I have also tested two times in Italy, on a small track on a standard bike, and we went very fast. I cannot wait for the Nürburgring weekend.” Ronan Quarmby (PRORACE Honda) “It has been great to get back racing again and the team is absolutely fantastic. They run one bike in the team and that means they can concentrate all their efforts on the rider and set-up. I think I showed the potential I had on Friday and Saturday at Silverstone and now my fitness is there. We have new parts on the bike; I am definitely looking at a top ten placing. That would be nice points for the team and myself and if we can do any better than that I would be really happy.” Danny Webb (PTR Honda) “I have never ridden a Supersport machine before so it will be a steep learning curve. I haven’t ridden at the Nürburgring before either, but I can learn fast. I am super motivated, more than ever, to show what I can do. PTR is a title challenging race team and I want to show what I can do on what is clearly a very competitive bike. Having an English team around me will help as well, I am absolutely sure. I am excited and can’t wait to get racing.” More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: Brits Tom Sykes and Chaz Davies on top of the Ring Nurburgring (Germany), Sunday 1 September 2013 – Sunday at the Nurburgring was a day of exciting races and injury setbacks for some of the protagonists of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) scored one victory each on the Eifel venue, with the Huddersfield-born rider who regained the Championship lead by one point over Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), while the Welshman rode his S1000RR to first place for the first time after the double win at Aragon last April. On the difficult side of the race day, Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team), Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) and Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) all had heavy crashes and got injured, with differing consequences. Loris Baz, following the crash he had during the morning’s warm-up, was diagnosed with a fractured C2 vertebra, fortunately with no neurological issues. The young Frenchman is fully conscious, he talks and jokes with people who are with him and has full mobility of her body. Baz will remain under observation at Adenau’s Krakenhaus Maria hospital, that is located near the track, while waiting to be transferred and for the medical checks that will define the plans for recovery. Jonathan Rea sustained a fractured left femur and he will undergo surgery tonight at the military hospital at Koblenz, in which he should stay for the next two or three days, but, even in this case, further updates are expected. Good news from Leon Camier: after being immediately assessed at trackside by the medical staff he was then flown by Air Ambulance to Stiffungs Klinicum in Koblenz. Camier was observed and scanned for potential neck injuries, but the scans proved negative and he was given the all-clear despite the massive impact. He hopes to leave hospital later today and will assess his condition in the coming days to decide on his availability to ride at the next race. Race 1 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) is the winner of the first eni FIM Superbike World Championship race at the Nurburgring. The race was red-flagged on the eighteenth lap as a result of two crashes that involved Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) and Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki), who both lost control of their bikes at Turn 9 on the oil left on track by Federico Sandi’s Team… (read more) Race 2 Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet) got back on the top step of the podium after winning the second race of the day, that was red-flagged on the nineteenth lap after wildcard Matej Smrz (Yamaha Motor Deutschland) suffered a high-side and landed on track next to his YZF-R1. The Welshman successfully defended the lead in the final laps in a three-way battle with second place Eugene Laverty… (read more) Tom Sykes: “It is very difficult to tell if I could have come back at Marco in the last two laps of race but the decision to stop the race has gone in our favour for a change. I was expecting probably a few more points in race two but it is racing and things like this happen. It seems that we had some limitations in that race, which is a shame because over race distance I was 100% confident in myself. It was important to keep Sylvain Guintoli behind me in that second race as we saw how every point counts last year.” Chaz Davies: “I am obviously super happy with the victory in race two. I was already happy with my podium in race one but I knew we could improve and so we did. We were just slightly struggling in a couple of areas but we worked on that for the second race. The last couple of laps I just put my head down seeing if I could just get away. In the end the red flag came and I was in right place at the right time. A big Thank you to my team as they did a great job this weekend and we got a double podium again.” European Junior Cup The 6th race of the PATA European Junior Cup, powered by Honda provided another thrilling climax to a race that nobody could predict the winner as the race entered its final lap. As the pack reached the final turn it was Bo Bendsneijder (RT Racing Support), at his second wildcard appearance in the series, who took the lead, holding a slender advantage to claim his 2nd win of the year. Kevin Manfredi (Newton Trasformatori Srl) and Robin Anne (Anne Formation completed the podium. Results: 1. Bendsneijder (Honda) 8 Laps/41.096 km in 18’47.698 average 131.193 kph; 2. Manfredi (Honda) 0.058; 3. Anne (Honda) 0.835; 4. Harland (Honda) 1.031; 5. Flitcroft (Honda) 1.095; 6. Lewis (Honda) 1.174; 7. Orellana (Honda) 13.452; 8. Pittet (Honda) 13.641; 9. Soomer (Honda) 13.681; 10. Odegard (Honda) 16.161; 11. Sebestyen (Honda) 16.616; 12. Schultheiss (Honda) 16.681; 13. Raymond (Honda) 20.925; 14. Hubner (Honda) 43.859; 15. Rusmiputro (Honda) 44.100; etc. Standings (Round 6 of 8): 1. Lewis 76; 2. Anne 72; 3. Raymond 59; 4. Flitcroft 56; 5. Canducci 55; 6. Bendsneijder 50; 7. Manfredi 50; 8. Fernandez 46; 9. Sebestyen 40; 10. Orellana 40; 11. Pittet 37; 12. Bodis 36; 13. Harland 30; 14. Fernandez 28; 15. Levy 27; etc. Cup of Nations Sebastian Zielinski has won the Cup of Nations final race of the year at the Nurburgring. The wildcard from Poland led the entire race to finish ahead of Tommaso Lorenzetti and Daniel Tibaldo, both riders of the Nuova F.C.C. Corse Yamaha Team. Sixth place Domenico Fasanella, full-time entry, was awarded the winner of the 2013 edition of the Cup. More, from a press release issued by Pata Honda Superbike Team: Rea breaks femur in Nürburgring crash Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea crashed out of the first of today’s two tenth-round World Superbike championship races at the Nürburgring in Germany, breaking his left femur. The 26-year-old from Northern Ireland had been in contention for a podium finish before falling at approximately 225kph on oil from another rider’s machine two laps before the end of the scheduled 20 at the 5.137km circuit. The crash brought out the red flags to end the race early with victory going to British rider Tom Sykes. Rea’s Pata Honda team-mate Leon Haslam finished in seventh place after suffering electronics problems. Haslam was running with the leading group in race two before losing the front of his Honda CBR1000RR at turn seven. The 30-year-old was able to pick up his machine and rejoin the race, finishing in 13th place at the flag. Leon Haslam – 7th and 13th It’s been a bit of a disaster, really. I felt pretty good all weekend and we made some good steps, but in race one we had an electronics issue which kind of determined the result. In race two we made some good changes that allowed me to hold on to the leading group, but I just pushed the front a bit too hard and went down. So it was frustrating because I had a really good feeling on Saturday afternoon but, after changing the engine last night, I never got the feeling back. I really felt we had the pace for a podium this weekend, so it’s a bit frustrating. Of course, I wish Johnny [Rea] all the best for a quick recovery and we’ll try to get some better results in Turkey. Jonathan Rea – DNF and DNS I’ve felt better, but I’m hoping to get the leg pinned later tonight so hopefully I can be home in a few days and start the recovery as soon as possible. It’s unbelievable what was happening with the flags in the race because I saw an oil flag at turn six but then nothing at turn seven or after that. I went down at the fast left at turn eight and, unfortunately, I stayed conscious throughout so I can remember everything. I was feeling pretty good before then and, although I didn’t have the pace to pass the guys in front, it was clear I had the best package and, although it was late in the race, I still had good grip levels. Until I hit the oil. Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator It’s been a day to forget for the team. Jonathan had a race-long battle for a podium and crashed on the oil of a blown-up engine. It looks like he’ll miss some races now, which is really sad and I feel really sorry for him and his crew. The guys have worked really hard to get the bike back to fighting for podium finishes every race and that’s the position he was in again today. We just wish him a really speedy recovery and hope to see him as soon as possible. Leon couldn’t get a good pace in race one and was struggling a little. We made some small changes for race two and he was racing with the top runners but he had a crash. In the end, the results were not good but we saw some elements of his potential again and I hope we can sort some things on the bike so he can be up there again in Turkey.