Ben Spies moved 14 points behind World Superbike Championship leader Noriyuki Haga after his second victory of the day at Donington Park, while Haga suffered a heavy fall. Rookie American Spies was the only rider to claim two podium finishes, with Max Biaggi - second in race one - falling from the runner-up spot on lap four of race two. The Roman, who momentarily took the lead from Spies into turn one, then clashed with Alessandro Polita in his haste to rejoin the race and eventually finished 21st and last for Aprilia. Haga, third in race one, held that same position early in race two before being promoted to second by Biaggi’s error. But Haga held the position for less than a lap before a heavy crash through the fast Coppice turn, heading onto the back straight.
Il texano della Yamaha Ben Spies vince entrambe le gare a Donington e riduce il distacco in classifica da Haga. Per il giapponese, caduto nella seconda prova, frattura di una vertebra e probabil e Mondiale finito. Biaggi, secondo in gara-1, scivola nella seconda: per lui piccola frattura. Male Fabrizio.
Valentino Rossi clinched his 100th Moto GP victory after cruising to a comfortable victory at the Dutch TT in Assen. Rossi won with consummate ease, losing his lead very briefly at the start of the race but storming back to complete his historic achievement. Rossi unveiled a huge gallery of photos chartering his career in celebration of having reached the landmark, with a packed crowd at Assen chanting his name.
Senza storia il GP d’Olanda: Valentino Rossi fa subito il vuoto e poi gestice il vantaggio su Lorenzo. È il trionfo che vale la tripla cifra nelle vittorie. Terzo Stoner lontanissimo, disastro Honda con Pedrosa e Dovizioso caduti e ritirati.
Jonathan Rea is hoping his maiden World Superbike Championship victory at Misano will be the turning point he needs to begin challenging for wins on a regular basis over the remainder of the season. The Northern Irishman became only the fourth different race winner this season after prevailing in a race long battle with Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga, one that would see Rea pass Fabrizio on the final lap and cling on for victory. Coming on the weekend that Ten Kate Honda took the risk of changing their suspension supplier to Ohlins, Rea was thrilled to be maintaining a trajectory that has seen him establish himself as a consistent front runner in recent races.
Nel primo match del GP San Marino a Misano, tracciato di casa Ducati, Spies (Yamaha) vince, secondo Byrne (privato Ducati), terzo Fabrizio (Ducati). In gara 2, primo è Rea (Honda), secondo Fabrizio, terzo Haga che comanda nella generale con 48 punti. Biaggi 13° e 10°.
Italian Valentino Rossi won a monumental battle with Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo to triumph in the Catalan’s home MotoGP race. The riders are now tied on 106 points at the summit of the World Championship standings alongside Ducati’s Casey Stoner, who finished third in Sunday’s race. Lorenzo, who had snatched a last-gasp pole from six-times champion Rossi, led for long stretches before the lead swapped several times on the final three laps.
Nel GP di Catalogna fantastico trionfo del pesarese Valentino Rossi che sorpassa Lorenzo proprio sulla curva che immette sul rettilineo d’arrivo. Terzo Stoner con la Ducati davanti a Dovizioso e Capirossi.
Ducati finally conquered its home race at Mugello today thanks to a stunning performance from Casey Stoner in one of the most difficult and eventful races of his career. Victory for the Australian in the second wet-to-dry flag-to-flag race in succession was his 18th for the Italian factory and it was enough to secure the World Championship lead after five rounds, with four points more than Lorenzo and nine more than Rossi, the two riders who joined him on the podium today. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider, mindful of his Le Mans experience two weeks ago, perfectly negotiated a track that started out wet following a heavy rain shower before the race. He kept pace with the lead group even when his wet tyres were completely spent, before quickly rejoining the battle for the lead after changing to slick tyres and holding off the challenge of the men behind him.
Il pubblico del Mugello se ne va contento a metà. Non ha vinto un italiano ma in MotoGP è tornata alla vittoria la Ducati. Quella di Casey Stoner, formidabile sul lungo rettilineo della pista toscana quando c’è stato da dare gas. L’australiano ha bissato la vittoria del Qatar e con questo successo è tornato - di misura - in testa al Mondiale. Niente da fare per le Yamaha di Jorge Lorenzo, secondo, e Valentino Rossi, terzo. A lungo protagonisti sono stati anche Andrea Dovizioso e Loris Capirossi, alla fine quarto e quinto.
Ben Spies has completed a double victory on home ground at Miller Motorsports Park to make some headway into Noriyuki Haga’s substantial World Superbike Championship lead. Although he didn’t have an interruption to contend with on this occasion, Spies was in similarly imperious form, leading from start to finish to complete his sixth win and his second double of the season. With Haga finishing down in eighth position, to go with his ninth from the opening race, Spies has been able to reduce the chasm between himself and the championship leader by 35 points, bringing it down to a somewhat more manageable 53. Having proven untouchable during the first race, Spies was certainly the man to beat from the start line, the Texan producing arguably his finest start of the season so far to slingshot into the lead of the race, ahead of fellow front row starter Fabrizio. Just behind, Carlos Checa managed a good getaway from second to slot into third, ahead of Haga and Max Biaggi, the pair doing a fine job of bullying their way to the front of the field from their respective ninth and 16th place starting positions.
Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo won the French MotoGP just a year after he finished second despite riding with two broken ankles. The 22-year-old - a two-time 250cc world champion - enjoyed a trouble free ride on his Yamaha to coast home ahead of Italian Marco Melandri on a Kawasaki while pole sitter Dani Pedrosa of Spain was third on a Honda. Lorenzo’s joy was the reverse of Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi who had a nightmare as he sought his 99th career victory but in the end trailed in in 16th position without scoring a point.
Lo spagnolo vince il GP di Francia in una gara con pista bagnata-asciutta che ha costretto tutti al cambio di moto in corsa. Melandri secondo, poi Pedrosa e Dovizioso. Valentino lontano (caduto e anche penalizzato).
Noriyuki Haga claimed victory in both World Superbikes races at Kyalami to extend his Championship lead. The Japanese veteran fended off Ducati team-mate Michel Fabrizio and Yamaha polesitter Ben Spies to the line in race one. Haga got the jump at the start but Fabrizio led mid-race before he returned to the front and made the most of the ensuing battle between the Italian and Spies by building the cushion he needed to secure victory.
Ben Spies of Yamaha won race two at the World Superbike Championship meeting at Monza after a problem denied him victory in the first race. After he dropped from first to 15th in race one, American Spies bounced back to dominate the second race from start to finish, leaving his rivals standing in the opening laps. His fifth race win of the season came after Ducati Xerox’s points leader Noriyuki Haga crashed at the Parabolica on lap three after he was hit by a bird, boosting the Texan’s title chances.
MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi powered from fourth on the starting grid to take his first victory of the season in Spain and open an 11-point lead at the top of the overall standings. The Yamaha rider slipped past early leader Dani Pedrosa with 10 laps left in front of the 120,000 crowd at the Jerez circuit and pulled away to finish the 27-lap race 2.7 seconds clear of the Spaniard’s Honda. Australian Casey Stoner was third for Ducati, the 2007 champion’s first appearance on the podium at Jerez.
