WSBK ROUND 6, MISANO, SUNDAY JUNE 12

Tough breaks in Italy, but also a win and a podium for Arai riders

LEON HASLAM, BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT
Race One: DNF                   Race Two: 5th          Championship Position: 5th

“I WAS JUST PLEASED TO SEE THE FINISH!”
Leon Haslam finished fifth in the second race of round six of the World Superbike Championship at Misano in Italy after crashing out of the day’s opening race.
Having led in the early stages, Haslam crashed out of fourth place on lap 10 of 24, breaking a foot and damaging wrist ligaments in the 120mph fall. He again led in race two and was holding fourth place on lap 11 when the race was stopped to remove a stricken, crashed machine from the middle of the circuit. In the 14-lap restart Haslam again hit the front before eventually crossing the finish line in fifth place, retaining fifth place in the World Championship. Both 24-lap races around the 4.226km Misano circuit were won by Spain’s Carlos Checa, riding his Althea Ducati.

“I was just about on the limit with the machine and tyre when I was sent into a big highside and down I went, race over. Overall it’s been a pretty disappointing weekend; to have the pace to lead the races but not the pace to win is really frustrating. It was a shame that the second race got red-flagged as we’d gone for a harder compound rear tyre that should’ve been good for the second part of the race. The machine did feel more stable and more comfortable than it did in race one. For the restart we used a softer compound rear tyre and it really changed the characteristics of the machine – the front became a problem and I almost crashed a few times so, in the end, I was just pleased to see the finish.”

JONATHAN REA, CASTROL HONDA
Race One: DNS                   Race Two: DNS      Championship Position: 8th

“I’LL TRY TO COME BACK FOR BRNO…”
Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea was forced to sit out both races at Misano after a high-speed crash during warm-up left him with fractures to his right arm and left collarbone. Rea had been searching for an improvement in his machine’s setting after issues in qualifying left him in 11th place after the final Superpole session. The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland was pushing hard in warm-up before he crashed at approximately 230kph at Misano’s fast turn 11. He was transferred to Ospedale Bufalini in Cesena where the fracture to his right radius and left clavicle were confirmed; with a number of other bumps and bruises, it is doubtful whether he will be able to line up for next weekend’s races at Aragon in Spain.

“Well, the weekend just went from bad to worse really – I had a crash yesterday which needed some stitches in my arm and then a 230kph crash this morning at one of the fastest corners on the calendar. Of course, I’m frustrated and I have some injuries that I want to take time to heal properly. We’ll have to miss Aragon next week, unfortunately, but Brno is a month off and the doctors tell me that the break in my arm would normally keep someone off work for three weeks. I’ll try to come back for Brno at 100% as it’s a circuit that suits me and the bike.”

Noriyuki Haga and his PATA Aprilia DNF’d in race one but bounced back to a brilliant third place in the interrupted second race – Haga looked very much like the rider of old, carving tight lines and riding with fractions of an inch to spare. He holds 12th place in the championship. Jakub Smrz  and his Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati as ever had a superb qualifying, landing third place on the grid but both races ended in disaster with a brace of crashes; he remains 9th overall.

Broc Parkes rode a perfect race at Misano to take his first World Supersport victory for Kawasaki and take the team’s first race win of the season. Broc also seized the lead in the Riders' Championship standings. Having qualified fourth fastest, Parkes was in line for a good result and his longed-for first win came at one of his favourite circuits. Broc now leads the championship by five points from Chaz Davies, who led the race for a time, before Parkes swept past on lap five. He was a happy man, understandably; “Unreal to win. It felt really good and I got a good start from fourth place on the grid. I was really concerned how the set-up would be for the race, because we made quite a big change for the start, so we did not know exactly where we were. It was a little bit of a gamble but it paid off in the end. I got out in front, got to the lead, but just had to stay relaxed and control the race.”

The next Word Superbike championship round is at Aragon, on June 19.

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