Bayliss...mixed fortunes at Donington Park
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TROY BAYLISS tightened his grip on the World Superbike Championship by winning race one in this weekend's Donington Park meet.
Despite crashing out of race two, the Australian still leads the championship race from fellow countryman Troy Corser by 101 points. After the race Bayliss said:
"I'm really happy to have finally taken a win at Donington today (in Race 1) after all the years that I've been coming here! Then in Race 2 I was feeling equally good at the start, even though the rain was so heavy I almost thought they might cancel it a couple of laps in. But conditions improved and I felt comfortable so at a certain point, when it looked like Kiyo might have been starting to have a bit of trouble, I thought I could push bit harder and try to catch him. Unfortunately though I lost the back at a certain point and came off at a pretty fast speed, though luckily I haven't hurt myself. We've improved on our points lead overall and we leave here with an advantage of 101 points over Corser and 105 over Neukirchner which was our aim for this round so we're all very happy with that."
Cal Crutchlow says his second place finish at last weekend's World Superbike round at Donington has given him the boost he needed in the run-up to the BSB round at Croft this weekend.
The HM Plant Honda rider is looking to carry his momentum from his WSB debut as he battles to regain second in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings at Croft this weekend.
Crutchlow dropped to fourth in the standings after a pair of disappointing results at Cadwell Park last time out, but following his podium in the second WSB race last weekend he is eager to get back to winning ways in BSB. Crutchlow is hoping that a strong pair of races can elevate him back above Tom Sykes and team-mate Haslam on Sunday. Crutchlow said:
"The excellent result at the weekend has really given me a boost ahead of Croft. I just now need to carry this through to the weekend, which I'm looking forward to. I know what I can do and am capable of in BSB and in the World Superbike championship, so I simply need to carry what I did at Donington through to Croft this weekend.
"Leon's had a double win at Cadwell Park, so I'd love to do the same before the end of the year. Last year I took my maiden BSB pole at Croft despite not liking the track at all. My opinion of the place changed last year, so I'm looking forward to the weekend!"
Rizla Suzuki's Tom Sykes also put in a blistering performance, finishing race one in second position and race two in tenth. He said:
“The first part of race one all went to plan and it was fantastic. I was watching the time on my board increasing with Troy behind and I felt I had good pace. The red flag was frustrating but I hid it well and composed myself. I got a clean start grabbing the hole-shot, but a slide and an incident at the Esses allowed Troy to get past me and then get away.
“Race two was a tough one but what can you do in conditions like that, I just kept it steady as I was struggling for grip. Overall it has been a good day, I’ve taken a podium at World level, we’ve gained some valuable wet settings and I’m now looking to Croft. I’d like to say a big thank you to all of the Rizla Suzuki team and the fans, this has been a brilliant experience.”
Race One Results:
1: Troy Bayliss, AUS, (Ducati) 1:31.814
2: Tomy Sykes, GBR, (Suzuki) +1.266
3: Max Biaggi, ITA, (Ducati) +28.636
4: Gregorio Lavilla, ESP, (Honda) +33.566
5: Yukio Kagayama, JPN, (Suzuki) +35.966
6: Jakub Smrz, CZE, (Ducati) +36.034
7: Fonsi Nieto, ESP, (Suzuki) +36.442
8: Leon Haslam, GBR, (Honda) +41.633
9: Karl Muggeridge, AUS, (Honda) +42.075
10: James Ellison, GBR, (Honda) +43.476
Race Two Results:
1: Ryuichi Kiyonari, JPN, (Honda) 1:43.614
2: Cal Crutchlow, GBR, (Honda) +2.261
3: Troy Corser, AUS, (Yamaha) +9.727
4: James Ellison, GBR, (Honda) +20.227
5: Michel Fabrizio, ITA, (Ducati) +27.475
6: Max Biaggi, ITA, (Ducati) +28.051
7: Gregorio Lavilla, ESP, (Honda) +30.922
8: Ruben Xaus, ITA, (Ducati) +38.353
9: Carlos Checa, ITA, (Honda) +50.196
10: Tom Sykes, GBR, (Suzuki) +57.346
Championship standings:
1. Bayliss AUS 359
2. Corser AUS 258
3. Neukirchner GER 254
4. Checa ESP 240
5. Haga JPN 230
6. Nieto ESP 192
7. Biaggi ITA 192
8. Kiyonari JPN 190
9. Fabrizio ITA 172
10. Xaus ESP 156
11. Kagayama JPN 120
12. Lavilla ESP 105
