Chaz Davies wins World Supersport Championship and Podiums for Lorenzo in MotoGP, Melandri in World Superbike The October 1-2 weekend proved a strong one for Yamaha internationally as Jorge Lorenzo finished second in MotoGP in Motegi, Japan, and Marco Melandri claimed 2-2 podium finishes (with teammate Eugene Laverty adding a third) in World Superbike in Magny Cours, France. Adding to Yamaha’s laurels, former AMA competitor, Chaz Davies won the 2011 World Supersport championship aboard his ParkinGO YZF-R6 with a smart sixth-place finish at Magny Cours, while teammate Luca Scassa took the race win on another R6. Lorenzo’s MotoGP finish inches him four points closer to championship leader Casey Stoner with three events remaining in the season. Melandri and Laverty are second and third in points with just one round remaining in the SBK season. The MotoGP race was an uplifting event for Japan after last spring’s earthquake and tsunami. It was also packed with drama, as several riders received ride-through penalties and championship leader Casey Stoner rode off track, losing several places. After this incident, Lorenzo tucked in behind Dani Pedrosa to claim second place with lap after lap of perfect lines. Despite battling food poisoning during the weekend, Spies started the race in excellent form. Quick off the line, he was following Lorenzo on lap one when hit from behind by a crashing Valentino Rossi. After rejoining the race in last place, the Texan treated Japanese fans to the famous Spies comeback routine as he carved his way back through the field into an incredible sixth place. Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow finished ninth and 13th, respectively. In the first of two World Superbike races at Magny Cours, Laverty dominated the early laps before Carlos Checa overtook him for the lead. However Melandri was likewise on a roll. Despite struggling with the front setup on his machine, he managed to gradually work his way through the pack, passing Laverty into second place behind Checa. Laverty pushed hard to hold on for a podium finish but eventually encountered severe tire wear on his R1 and had to settle for fifth. In race two, Laverty again ran second behind Checa in the early going. But a determined Melandri climbed up to third and then overtook his teammate on the last lap to claim the second step on the podium once again, with Laverty closely following in third. “It’s great to be back on the podium again and it’s nice to have two Yamahas up here together,” Laverty remarked. 2011 MotoGP Points Pos. – Rider – Points 1 Casey Stoner 300 2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 260 3 Andrea Dovizioso 196 4 Dani Pedrosa 195 5 Ben Spies Yamaha 156 2011 World Superbike Points Pos.- Rider – Points 1 Carlos Checa 467 2 Marco Melandri Yamaha 360 3 Eugene Laverty Yamaha 283 4 Max Biaggi 281 5 Leon Haslam 216