Constantly changing conditions at Silverstone made Round 9 of the World Superbike series something of a lottery, and threw up two unexpected winners in the headline races of the day, while each of the four South African riders – Mathew Scholtz, Ronan Quarmby and Sheridan Morais in World Supersport and Greg Gildenhuys in Superstock – rode a steady race to a solid midfield finish.
RACE 1
Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea took a spectacular win – his first in more than a year – breaking away from the chasing pack on lap seven as the intermittent rain on the circuit began to fall more heavily.
The race was shortened by a lap after the start was delayed by rain and the constantly changing conditions became a key factor in unpredictable position changes throughout the 17 laps.
Eugene Laverty (Aprilia) managed to get back in contention for a podium spot in the closing stages, edging Suzuki’s Leon Camier out of second in the final lap, although Camier still managed to deliver his and his team's first podium of the season on his 27th birthday.
Laverty’s team mate Sylvain Guintoli came home a close fourth, holding off determined challenges from fellow Frenchmen Loris Baz (Kawasaki) and Jules Cluzel (Suzuki) to extend his championship lead to 12 points as rival Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) straggled home 11th behind the works BMW duo of Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies.
RACE 2
Kawasaki’s Loris Baz took an epic win – his first this year and the second of his World Superbike career – when the second race was red-flagged on the final lap after the rain suddenly increased and two riders fell off at Stowe corner, while Baz was leading from Cluzel and Laverty.
One of the riders who fell off was Cluzel, but he managed to rejoin and make it back to the pits; he was credited with second as the results reverted back to the previous lap. Laverty finished third, ahead of Rea and Camier, who had briefly held the lead earlier before losing several positions, in an incredible seven-way fight for line honours that dominated the second half of the race.
Guintoli finished sixth, just ahead of championship rival Sykes, retaining his lead in the standings with 262 points to Sykes’ 249.
RESULTS – RACE 1
1 Jonathan Rea (Britain) Honda CBR1000RR – 37min16.058
2 Eugene Laverty (Ireland) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +3.073sec
3 Leon Camier (Britain) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +3.480
4 Sylvain Guintoli (France) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +3.608
5 Loris Baz (France) Kawasaki ZX-10R +4.140
6 Jules Cluzel (France) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +5.659
7 Leon Haslam (Britain) Honda CBR1000RR +6.443
8 Ayrton Badovini (Italy) Ducati Panigale 1199R +10.544
9 Marco Melandri (Italy) BMW S1000 RR +14.017
10 Chaz Davies (Britain) BMW S1000 RR +14.167
11 Tom Sykes (Britain) Kawasaki ZX-10R + 14.180
12 Max Neukirchner (Germany) Ducati Panigale 1199R +26.536
13 Carlos Checa (Spain) Ducati Panigale 1199R +43.561
14 Michel Fabrizio (Italy) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +46.373
15 Mark Aitcheson (Australia) Kawasaki ZX-10R +1min33.624
16 Federico Sandi (Italy) Kawasaki ZX-10R +1 lap
17 Vittorio Iannuzzo (Italy) BMW S1000 RR +2 laps
RACE 2
1 Loris Baz (France) Kawasaki ZX-10R – 33min46.622
2 Jules Cluzel (France) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +0.609sec
3 Eugene Laverty (Ireland) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +0.869
4 Jonathan Rea (Britain) Honda CBR1000RR +2.145
5 Leon Camier (Britain) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +2.229
6 Sylvain Guintoli (France) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +2.374
7 Tom Sykes (Britain) Kawasaki ZX-10R +5.791
8 Ayrton Badovini (Italy) Ducati Panigale 1199R +20.126
9 Marco Melandri (Italy) BMW S1000 RR +20.209
10 Carlos Checa (Spain) Ducati Panigale 1199R +20.629
11 Michel Fabrizio (Italy) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +20.679
12 Max Neukirchner (Germany) Ducati Panigale 1199R +21.407
13 Federico Sandi (Italy) Kawasaki ZX-10R +45.015
14 Mark Aitcheson (Australia) Kawasaki ZX-10R +45.938
15 Davide Giugliano (Italy) Aprilia RSV4 Factory +46.036
16 Vittorio Iannuzzo (Italy) BMW S1000 RR +1min22.207
POINTS (after nine of 15 rounds)
1 Sylvain Guintoli (France) Aprilia RSV4 Factory – 262
2 Tom Sykes (Britain) Kawasaki ZX-10R – 249
3 Eugene Laverty (Ireland) Aprilia RSV4 Factory – 226
4 Marco Melandri (Italy) BMW S1000 RR – 221
5 Chaz Davies (Britain) BMW S1000 RR – 180
6 Loris Baz (France) Kawasaki ZX-10R – 180
7 Jonathan Rea (Britain) Honda CBR1000RR – 176
8 Michel Fabrizio (Italy) Aprilia RSV4 Factory – 138
9 Leon Camier (Britain) Suzuki GSX-R1000 – 114
10 Jules Cluzel (France) Suzuki GSX-R1000 – 113
WORLD SUPERSPORT
Kawasaki star Kenan Sofuoglu got the better of a dramatic duel with championship leader Sam Lowes (Yamaha). The pair stayed in touch as they pulled away from the field in the early stages to open a gap of more than 10 seconds from Kevin Coghlan (Kawasaki) in third, setting up a last-lap showdown for line honours.
Sofuoglu and Lowes swapped places several times on the final tour, each pass closer than the last, until they banged fairings in turn 14 and Lowes went down. The Kawasaki crossed the line a lonely winner but Lowes was able to pick the Yamaha up and cross the line before Kevin Cochlan and Fabien Foret (each on a Kawasaki) and MV Agusta team mates Christian Iddon and Roberto Rolfo, locked in a four-way battle for third, came past.
Foret got the best of that one, snatching the final podium spot on the line by six thousandths of a second, as all four finished within less than half a second.
Suzuki rider Mathew Scholtz was the first South African home in 16th, missing out on a point by less than a second, while Honda riders Ronan Quarmby and Sheridan Morais (in his comeback ride from a shoulder injury) were 18th and 19th respectively.
RESULTS
1 Kenan Sofuoglu (Turkey) Kawasaki ZX-6R – 34min25.660
2 Sam Lowes (Britain) Yamaha R6 +9.501sec
3 Fabien Foret (France) Kawasaki ZX-6R +12.165
4 Kevin Coghlan (Britain) Kawasaki ZX-6R +12.259
5 Christian Iddon (Britain) MV Agusta F3 675 +12.491
6 Roberto Rolfo (Italy) MV Agusta F3 675 +12.590
7 Jack Kennedy (Ireland) Honda CBR600RR +13.625
8 Florian Marino (France) Kawasaki ZX-6R +15.009
9 Michael van der Mark (Netherlands) Honda CBR600RR +21.399
10 Vladimir Leonov (Russian) Yamaha R6 +21.821
16 Mathew Scholtz (South Africa) Suzuki GSX-R600 +29.036
18 Ronan Quarmby (South Africa) Honda CB600RR +34.132
19 Sheridan Morais (South Africa) Honda CBR 600RR +43.186
SUPERSTOCK 1000 – RACE 1
BMW works rider Sylvain Barrier notched up his fourth race win of the season when the first Superstock 1000 race was red-flagged on the final lap after a nasty tumble involving Jaroslav Cerny, substitute rider on Tomas Svitok’s Kawasaki ZX-10R.
The results were taken as at the end of the previous lap so Jeremy Guarnoni (Kawasaki) was credited with second, even though he’d passed Barrier and was leading when the race was stopped.
Eddi La Marra (Ducati) was classified third ahead of Ducati’s Niccolo Canepa, followed by Kawasaki riders Lorenzo Savadori, Leandro Mercado and Alessandro Andreozzi, all of whom had been involved, along with Barrier and Guarnoni, in an amazing seven-way battle for the lead throughout most of the race.
There were heated words exchanged between Barrier and La Marra after the race, as La Marra was not happy about Barrier’s overtaking manoeuvre, which saw them banging elbows on the main straight.
RACE 2
Barrier continued his dominance of the class in the second leg, coming home nearly four seconds ahead of Team Pedercini Kawasaki rider Leandro Mercador after title rivals Guarnoni and La Marra fell by the wayside - literally in the case of La Marra, who crashed on lap four.
La Marra’s team mate Lorenzo Savadori took the final podium spot, ahead of Niccolo Canepa, Andreozzi and Kawasaki rider Matthieu Lussiana.
Reigning South African Superbike champion Greg Gildenhuys, riding a works-back BMW S1000RR HP4, improved from 14th in Race 1 to 12th in the late-afternoon outing.
RESULTS – RACE 1
1 Sylvain Barrier (France) BMW S1000RR HP4 – 17min16.103
2 Jeremy Guarnoni (France) Kawasaki ZX-10R +0.056sec
3 Eddi La Marra (Italy) Ducati 1199 Panigale R +0.561
4 Niccolo Canepa (Italy) Ducati 1199 Panigale R +1.728
5 Lorenzo Savadori (Italy) Kawasaki ZX-10R +2.190
6 Leandro Mercado (Argentina) Kawasaki ZX-10R +3.327
7 Alessandro Andreozzi (Italy) Kawasaki ZX-10R +3.068
8 Matthieu Lussiana (France) Kawasaki ZX-10R +3.591
9 Ondrej Jezek (Czech Republic) Ducati 1199 Panigale R +4.104
10 Filip Backlund (Sweden) Kawasaki ZX-10R +7.461
14 Greg Gildenhuys (South Africa) BMW S1000RR HP4 +13.968
RACE 2
1 Sylvain Barrier (France) BMW S1000RR HP4 – 21min29.139
2 Leandro Mercado (Argentina) Kawasaki ZX-10R +3.881sec
3 Lorenzo Savadori (Italy) Kawasaki ZX-10R +5.789
4 Niccolo Canepa (Italy) Ducati 1199 Panigale R +7.552
5 Alessandro Andreozzi (Italy) Kawasaki ZX-10R +9.782
6 Matthieu Lussiana (France) Kawasaki ZX-10R +10.564
7 Ondrej Jezek (Czech Republic) Ducati 1199 Panigale R +10.827
8 R Lanusse (France) Kawasaki ZX-10R +11.179
9 C Bergman (Sweden) Kawasaki ZX-10R +11.488
10 C Ponsson (Luxembourg) Kawasaki ZX-10R +19.039
12 Greg Gildenhuys (South Africa) BMW S1000RR HP4 +21.729
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