2014 Misano World Superbike Results
Spoiler Alert: 2014 World Superbike results from Misano listed below
The 2014 World Superbike headed this weekend to Misano following a one-year hiatus at the San Marino circuit.
When the practices began, Ducati Team’s Davide Giugliano was looking best, the 1199 Panigale R pilot dominating the grid.
But the reigning MotoGP Champion Tom Sykes found something extra during Superpole, taking his 21st pole of his career. En route, he also smashed the qualifying record with a lap time of 1:34.883. The Brit then carried this momentum into Sunday’s double 21-lap races, taking both wins. Sykes also set a new race record of 1:35.629 in race one.
And just as he did when Sykes doubled at Donington, the other Kawasaki Racing pilot Loris Baz finished second in both races. Finishing third in both races was the man who doubled at Sepang two weeks ago, Aprilia Racing Team’s Sylvain Guintoli.
Sykes was completely dominate; he won race one by 5.012 seconds, and race two by 3.083 seconds.
With his wins, Sykes extended his championship lead to 39 points over Aprilia Racing Team’s Sylvain Guintoli. In third, 41 points back is Baz. Also, Kawasaki now leads Aprilia in the Manufacturer’s Championship by 22 points.
“I am very pleasantly surprised at these results but I knew that the adrenaline and the concentration would give me something extra. I honestly was not expecting to get that much extra but massive credit to all the team. It all went to plan in race one. I knew I had some limitation all weekend and I said that to my crew chief, and what the issues were,” Tom Sykes says.
“After that you need to get on and do the job. We have been working a lot all weekend and we have been fine-tuning the set-up of the Ninja ZX-10R. Finally when it came to crunch time I was able to give that final little bit myself, and I am happy about that. The lap times were quite surprising at the start and I was surprised to keep that pace in race one.
“The front and rear were moving a lot but the feedback from the bike was fantastic, so I have to thank Marcel and Danilo and all the mechanics who have all worked over time a long time to deal with my fussy requests! In race two it was even more difficult, the bike was moving a lot more and I was over compensating with my left arm. I had to stay focused but at the end the control of the second race was probably a bit more relaxed than in race one.”
Following are the official reports from World SBK:
2014 Misano World SBK Race One:
After 21 fast and furious laps, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) has won the opening race of the day at the Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli after starting from Pole Position courtesy of his record breaking lap yesterday.
From the start however it was Toni Elias (Red Devils Roma Aprilia) that took the holeshot before reigning champion Tom Sykes forced his way past towards the end of the opening lap.
Both factory Aprilia riders made small mistakes before regrouping allowing Loris Baz through to give chase to his Kawasaki team mate.
Elias overshot at the start of lap 3 into turn one whilst the battle at the front was intensifying.
As the race progressed the battle at the front was fast becoming a two rider affair with the fight for the final podium place now involving both Ducati riders as well as the two factory Aprilia machines, Elias and the Pata
Honda of Jonathan Rea.
As the race entered the final third Sykes was pulling away from Baz by 2 tenths of second leaving the Frenchman a lonely second. The final podium fight was now between Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team) with Melandri eventually grabbing 3rd at the flag.
Chaz Davies, Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) and Jonathan Rea completed the top 6.
David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team) came out on top in the EVO battle after working his way through the pack after being caught mid pack in the opening sequence of corners eventually finishing a respectable 11th overall.
Alessandro Andreozzi (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) crashed out unhurt.
2014 Misano World Superbike Race Two:
After winning the opening race of the day reigning champion Tom Sykes was victorious again in race two putting in a commanding performance aboard his Kawasaki Racing Team machine.
Behind Sykes there was an intense race long three rider fight for the final places on the podium with Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) eventually grabbing 2nd ahead of Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) after some hard but fair overtakes between the pair. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) having to be content with fourth.
An equally exciting scrap behind the top four saw Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) emerge 5th ahead of Toni Elias, Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) and Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) who was 8th.
Race 2 was over before it had begun for Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team). The Italian who had finished 8th earlier in the day took the lead into turn one but was judged to have moved before the lights went out and was given a jump start penalty. He would eventually finish 9th after serving a ride through the pits for his mistake. Ducati’s other rider Chaz Davies crashed out of fifth on the 5th lap.
In the EVO battle the accolade of being the best classified finisher went once again to David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team) despite a valiant race from Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) on his return to racing.
Christian Iddon (Team Bimota Alstare) highsided out of contention early on but was thankfully able to limp away. Fellow Brit Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) crashed out of the fight for fifth. Unlike Iddon, Haslam did remount to finish 12th.
