MAX BIAGGI won the first race of the 2012 World Superbike championship after Carlos Checa crashed out of the lead in the early stages of race one.
2011 WSB Champion Checa highsided out of the final turn whilst battling with factory Aprilia rider Biaggi. The Italian would go on to win the opening race, beating Marco Melandri by seven seconds. Melandri scored BMW's best-ever podium finish in his first race for the German manufacturer.
Rounding out the podium was Effenbert Liberty Ducati rider Sylvain Guintoli.
Tom Sykes took fourth place after leading from pole position early on, with Jakub Smrz on the second Liberty Ducati finishing a distant fifth.
WSB Phillip Island Race 1 Results
1. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV4 22 laps
2. Marco Melandri ITA BMW Motorrad S1000RR +7.104
3. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Effenbert Liberty Ducati 1098R +7.378
4. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R +12.189
5. Jakub Smrz CZE Liberty Effenbert Ducati 1098R +16.424
6. Michel Fabrizio ITA BMW Italia Goldbet S1000RR +20.200
7. Jonathan Rea GBR Honda WSBK CBR1000RR +20.223
8. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Honda WSBK CBR1000RR +24.108
9. Davide Giugliano ITA Althea Ducati 1098R +28.072
10. Bryan Staring AUS Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +34.232
11. Lorenzo Zanetti ITA PATA Ducati 1098R +34.450
12. Leon Haslam GBR BMW Motorrad S1000RR +35.648
13. Maxime Berger FRA Effenbert Liberty Ducati 1098R +36.392
14. David Salom ESP Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +41.500
15. Joan Lascorz ESP Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R +42.086
16. Josh Brookes AUS Crescent Fixi Suzuki GSX-R1000 +42.605
17. Leon Camier GBR Crescent Fixi Suzuki GSX-R1000 +43.366
18. Mark Aitchison AUS Grillini Progea BMW S1000RR +45.225
19. David Johnson AUS Rossair AEP BMW S1000RR +1m 08.782
20. Niccolo Canepa ITA Red Devils Ducati 1098R +1m 10.440
Not Classified
21. Eugene Laverty IRL Aprilia Racing RSV4 19 laps
22. Ayrton Badovini ITA BMW Italia Goldbet S1000RR 14 laps
23. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1098R 5 laps
24. Raffaele De Rosa ITA Pro Ride Honda CBR1000RR 0 laps
