2012 World Superbike Results
Spoiler Alert: 2012 World Superbike results from Donington reported below
Following a one week break, the 2012 World Superbike continued Sunday with round five of 14 at Donington Park in England.
And both 23-lap races weren’t decided until the very last lap after many riders sharing the lead.
In race one, it was a historic win for the BMW Motorrad duo of Marco Melandri and Leon Haslam. The two finished 1-2, and were joined on the podium by pole-man Tom Sykes on the Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R.
But it wasn’t an easy win for Melandri. The Italian battled throughout the race with Sykes, and the two switched the lead multiple times. Behind, Haslam was battling with Aprilia Racing’s Max Biaggi.
And the dueling would go onto to the end of the race, with Melandri holding off teammate Haslam by 0.728 of a second. Sykes would finish third, followed by Honda World Superbike’s Jonathan Rea and Biaggi.
The top five were covered by 2.102 seconds when everything was completed. Taking sixth was the reigning World SBK Champion, Althea Racing’s Carlos Checa.
Following his fourth-place finish in race one, Rea came back to win a drama-filled second race.
Before the start of race 2, the 25-year old reportedly benefited from a small setup change on his CBR1000RR.
As race two got underway, Laverty and Checa touched during the first corner, sending Checa to the ground. As Checa crashed, he also took out Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati’s Jakub Smrz and Checa’s teammate, Davide Giugliano.
The next to crash was Laverty, who hit the pavement on Craner Curves as Sykes was leading. Biaggi would soon pass Sykes, along with the BMW Motorrad duo of Melandri and Haslam.
A five-way battle ensued between with Melandri, Haslam, Biaggi and Sykes. On the last lap, though, Melandri and Haslam went wide. Rea went through the gap left open, but had some contact with Haslam.
Haslam crashed, and as he slid across the track, he took his teammate Melandri out. As a result, Rea went on to take his first win of 2012. Following 0.508 of a second behind was Biaggi, with Sykes taking the final podium position. Taking fourth was FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier, with Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati’s Sylvain Guintoli in fifth.
Following his 5-2 finishes, Biaggi retains the points lead with 128.5 points, followed five behind by Sykes. Rea moved into third with 108 points, followed by Checa (105.5) and Melandri (97.5).
The 2012 World SBK Championship takes a two-week break before heading to the states for round five at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.
Donington Superbike Race 1 Results:
1. Marco Melandri (BMW) 34’26.736
2. Leon Haslam (BMW) 34’27.464
3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 34’28.345
4. Jonathan Rea (Honda) 34’28.555
5. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) 34’28.838
Donington Superbike Race 2 Results:
1. Jonathan Rea (Honda) 34’31.847
2. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) 34’32.355
3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 34’33.876
4. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) 34’36.092
5. Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati) 34’38.442
World Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 5 rounds):
1. Biaggi 128.5
2. Sykes 123.5
3. Rea 108
4. Carlos Checa (Ducati) 105.5
5. Melandri 97.5
