WSBK : Tom Sykes takes impressive victory in race 1 at Donington

FRom TWOWHEELSBLOG

After dominating all the sessions this weekend at Donington Park, Tom Sykes put in his pocket his second win of the season, after Assen, with a lights-to-flag victory at the British circuit.

The Kawasaki rider played hare and greyhound in the first race, never really contested by the rest of the field even if Jonathan Rea pressured him for the first six laps - with the fastest lap of the race and breaking the record - with Sylvain Guintoli and team mate Eugene Laverty trailing the two front runners, but the Northern Irishman on lap 8 after Marco Melandri overtook him, ran off track at the Fogarty Esses dropping behind Chaz Davies and directly into a battling group made up Althea’s Davide Giugliano and Loris Baz.

As the laps began to count down, Jonathan Rea began to fade struggling with right arm issues and as began to loose touch Guintoli reached him and then overtook with nine laps to go and the same move was repeated by Marco Melandri on lap 15, and by lap 18 the BMW rider caught and passed the Frenchman at the Goddards and sped away.

Further down the field Eugene Laverty was struggling with the aggressive Baz and Giugliano who passed the Aprilia rider on lap 20 to continue their paint swapping and leaving Laverty to lick his wounds.

With three laps left the positions were more or less frozen with only Michel Fabrizio gaining the 10th spot denying a bevy of Ducati riders, that turned into a Ducati cup over thhe finish line with Ayrton Badovini who still is suffering with ankle issues, pipping team mate Carlo Checa with his shoulder issue, and wildcard entry Niccolò Canepa finishing ahead of MR Racing’s Max Neukirchner.

Sykes would cross under the chequered flag with a comfortable 2.3 second margin followed by Melandri and Guintoli who completed the podium.

Prodigy frontman Keith Flint was no doubt upset to see friend Leon Camier crash out on lap four, while Leon Haslam decided to withdraw - his team insisted - from the round unable to continue the weekend riding with his leg giving him problems on the left corners, will see him at Portimao.

2013 WSBK Donington Race 1 Results:

1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34′10.881
2. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 34′13.260
3. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′14.689
4. Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) Honda CBR1000RR 34′17.641
5. Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34′24.530
6. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′26.432
7. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′28.334
8. Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 34′30.019
9. Jules Cluzel (Fixi Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 34′38.619
10. Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′41.698