Race Report
Round three, consisting of race 5 and 6, of the 2010 World Superbike series is set to happen in Valencia this coming weekend. An unsuspected Leon Halsem is leading in the points followed the Max Biaggi in second and Carlos Checa in third. Factory Ducati SBK favorites, Nori Haga and Michel Fabrizio, are trailing the points leaders.
Valencia is a popular stop on the WSBK calendar for the fans but more so for the Ducati team based on past success. Sometimes called a "Ducati" track, we look back in history for patterns or maybe just to see if there is something special in the Spanish water or in the olive oil for the Italian Superbikes.
Here are some brief racing results from Spain (Valencia and Albacete).
1991: 25th fastest lap for Ducati, recorded by Doug Polen (Jarama)
1992: (in Albacete) first win for Aaron Slight. First and only fastest lap and podium place for Daniel Amatriain; 25th podium for Fabrizio Pirovano
1993: (in Albacete) 100th presence in race for Fred Merkel. First pole position for Aaron Slight
1995: 100th fastest lap for Ducati by Pierfrancesco Chili (Albacete)
1996: 10th win for Troy Corser (Albacete)
1998: First pole for Noriyuki Haga (Albacete), the tenth for Yamaha
1999: (Albacete) 100th race start for Pierfrancesco Chili and Andreas Meklau
2000: 25th pole for Troy Corser
2001: 10th podium for Troy Bayliss
2002: 10th win and 25th podium for Troy Bayliss; 150th presence in race for Colin Edwards
2003: First front row presence for James Toseland
2004: First fastest lap for Garry McCoy, first podium for Steve Martin
2005: 100th race start for Chris Walker
2006: 25th win and 50th podium place for Troy Bayliss. 100th podium place for Troy Corser
2007: Tenth win for Ruben Xaus, 150th race start for James Toseland