2013 WSBK: Tom Sykes does the double at Imola

The Imola track surface was hot (57°) and offered much less grip for the second race of the seventh round of the World Superbike championship, but this didn’t stop Tom Sykes from taking a dominating lights-to-flag and uncontested victory, with Jonathan Rea and Sylvain Guintoli - both making up their DNFs in race 1 - completing the podium, that heard the English national anthem played twice for the Kawasaki rider.

Imola was Sykes second double victory after Donington Park and his fifth victory of the season which allowed the British rider to move to the top of the standings with 235 points, six more than Sylvain Guintoli.

It was a bittersweet weekend for Davide Giugliano. After taking a second place in race 1, the Althea rider was on the tail of race leaderTom Sykes, but during the third lap he lost the front of his Aprilia at the Tosa and slid out and just two laps later the same happened to Eugene Laverty - 3rd in race 1 - as he crashed out at the Ravizza 2.

Marco Melandri with his BMW Goldbet machine took fourth in the only real exciting moment of the race, when his team mate Chaz Davies overtook him on pentultimate lap, but Melandri wasn’t happy and repassed the Welshman on the last lap at the Variante Alta as the two headed to the final turn only for Davies to have a big wobble in the corner and having to concede the spot to Melandri.

Taking a very distant sixth was Loris Baz who had to battle for the spot with Leon Camier, while Michel Fabrizio took 8th. There was a three-rider battle between Jules Cluzel, Leon Haslam and Ayrton Badovini for 9th, that went to the Pata Honda rider followed by Badovini and Cluzel.

Carlos Checa took 12th ahead of Max Neikirchner, Federico Sandi and Noriyuki Haga who will be taking to this year’s 8 Hours of Suzuka 2 points.

2013 WSBK Imola Race 2 results:

01- Tom Sykes – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R – 21 laps in 37’51.947
02- Jonathan Rea – Pata Honda World Superbike Team – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 5.032
03- Sylvain Guintoli – Aprilia Racing Team – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 10.201
04- Marco Melandri – BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team – BMW S1000RR – + 13.120
05- Chaz Davies – BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team – BMW S1000RR – + 13.630
06- Loris Baz – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R – + 23.949
07- Leon Camier – FIXI Crescent Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – + 25.420
08- Michel Fabrizio – Red Devils Roma – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 36.511
09- Leon Haslam – Pata Honda World Superbike Team – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 40.184
10- Ayrton Badovini – Team Ducati Alstare – Ducati 1199 Panigale R – + 41.100
11- Jules Cluzel – FIXI Crescent Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – + 42.888

2013 WSBK Imola Race 1 Results:

1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 37′52.860
2. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38′00.058
3. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38′02.344
4. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 38′03.183
5. Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38′11.557
6. Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 38′12.391
7. Leon Camier (Fixi Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 38′15.272
8. Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 38′22.002
9. Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 38′29.688
10. Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike) Honda CBR1000RR 38′30.367
11. Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 38′32.099

from TWOWHEELSBLOG