WSBK : Marco Melandri wins dramatic and high attrition race 1 at Moscow

Race 1 at the Moscow Raceway was extremely dramatic and with a high attrition, due to high profile crashes, retirements, rain and pit stops.

The 25 lapper had very extreme weather and track conditions, dry at the start, a rain shower that left standing water in certain parts of the circuit and dry in other sections, which was followed by a massive monsoon rain shower, and an unexpected outcome.

In these horrible and tricky racing conditions Marco Melandri took his third victory of the season, and completing the very wet podium was Chaz Davies and Ayrton Badovini, and the championship lead returned into the hands of Sylvain Guintoli.

The race started in dramatic circumstance as just two turns into the first lap saw four riders crash out - Carlos Checa and Jules Cluzel clashed and went crashing out - the Frenchman was able to return to track - and then Lorenzo Savadori in his Superbike debut also crashed, taking with him a hapless Vittorio Iannuzzo, after Chaz Davies got the holeshot.

Pole sitter Davide Giugliano was chasing down Chaz Davies when he crashed out of second, and he was just the fifth rider to bin it, while Tom Sykes had a worse fate and it seemed that his race was already doomed after his crash yesterday in qualifying due to a clutch issue, and just before the warm-up lap.

Sykes’ Kawasaki died on him as he started to leave the grid for the warm-up lap and had to to be pushed, and that was the first signal that something wasn’t quite right and infact during the fourth lap, he angrily pulled over with a technical issue and trying to get his bike to work gave full throttle and the machine began spewing oil and then caught fire!

Sylvain Guintoli had a huge moment while riding third and no doubt it was like a knife to his injured collarbone and then he began to fad,e but he still managed to finish the race in 6th after pitting for a tire change and he regained the lead in the standings.

Eugene Laverty and a very unlucky Leon Haslam also crashed, while Max Neukirchner was given a ride through after his pit stop and admist all this massive confusion Loris Baz briefly took the lead - and still unexplainably on slick tires - but Melandri on full wets easily passed him as the Frenchman would fall back to finish 8th, as Ayrton Badovin would try to chase down Davies after passing Rea for third.

Michel Fabrizio finished fifth followed by Guintoli, Neukirchner, Baz, Leon Camier and lapped Jules Cluzel and Federico Sandi. both receiving precious points after all the carnage.

2013 WSBK Moscow Race 1 results:

1. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 46′03.043
2. Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 46′10.484
3. Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 46′15.797
4. Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) Honda CBR1000RR 46′24.360
5. Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 46′50.499
6. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 47′04.042
7. Max Neukirchner (MR-Racing) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 47′07.805
8. Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 47′07.990
9. Leon Camier (Fixi Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 47′12.183
10. Jules Cluzel (Fixi Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 46′26.550

from TWOWHEELSBLOG