Istanbul Results

World Superbike 2013

maddix park mx

www.motorcycle-usa.com  

By Byron Wilson

Aprilia Racing’s Eugene Laverty swept the World Superbike round at Intercity Istanbul Park. In Race 1 the Irishman outpaced BMW Motorrad GoldBet’s Marco Melandri by just over two seconds at the checkers and in Race 2 Laverty held steady ahead of current points leader Tom Sykes of Kawasaki Racing.

Race 1 

Laverty took the front late in Race 1 and was able to hold to the checkers. Melandri made a similar late-race move into second ahead of Sykes, who finished in third.
Laverty moved from the top of the second row into second-place off the start, slotting in behind Sykes. The Kawasaki ace managed to hold the lead through the first 11 laps of competition, keeping Laverty at bay until Lap 12 when the Aprilia rider finally made a push for the front. Once in the lead, Laverty steadily built a gap on the field, securing his first Race 1 victory of the season. Sykes remained in second-place for a period, but Melandri was strong during the final laps and made a pass by the British rider with three laps remaining in the contest. At that point Laverty was too far ahead for Melandri to make a bid for the win.

Guintoli had a podium finish in sights until lap 14 when he was passed by Melandri. Althea Racing’s Davide Giugliano finished well behind Guintoli in fifth after his battle with Red Devils Roma’s Toni Elias, who took sixth. Giugliano and Elias even made contact at one point, but luckily both riders were able to remain upright. FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s Jules Cluzel finished in seventh followed by Melandri’s teammate, Chaz Davies, in eighth. Pata Honda duo Leon Haslam and Michel Fabrizio, riding in place of the injured Jonathan Rea, took ninth and 10th, respectively.

Team Ducati Alstare, down one rider after Carlos Checa’s big crash earlier in the weekend, saw remaining rider Ayrton Badovini pull out of competition during the opening laps of Race 1. Badovini had a crash of his own earlier in the weekend which left him with an injured ankle. He did not take part in qualifying but suited up for the race and started from the back of the grid. He pushed his way up to 13th position before a mechanical issue forced him to retire. The pain from his injury proved too much to bear and he decided to forego Race 2 entirely.

World Superbike Istanbul Race 1 Results 2013: 
1. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia) 
2. Marco Melandri (BMW) 
3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 
4. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) 
5. Davide Giugliano (Aprilia) 
6. Toni Elias (Aprilia) 
7. Jules Cluzel (Suzuki) 
8. Chaz Davies (BMW) 
9. Leon Haslam (Honda) 
10. Michel Fabrizio (Honda) 
11. Federico Sandi (Kawasaki) 
12. Vittorio Iannuzzo (BMW) 
13. Tolga Uprak (Kawasaki) 
14. Yunus Ercelik (BMW)

Race 2 

Laverty’s Race 2 win marks only the second time he has swept a Superbike round, with the first coming in 2011 at Monza. Sykes held to second while Guintoli earned a podium finish in third.



Once again Sykes ran out to the early lead, which he held through the first half of the race. Guintoli settled into second-place during the initial laps but Laverty pushed up the ranks and by Lap 3 had displaced his teammate. Laverty remained steady in the runner-up spot until Lap 12 where was able to find a line past Sykes to the front. Once in the lead, Laverty again remained steady through to the checkers.

Guintoli attempted to keep pace with the front-runners, but ended nearly three seconds behind Sykes at the finish. Melandri, who took fourth, was well behind the Frenchman at the end, coming across the line over six seconds back. Elias finished in fifth-place followed by Davies in sixth and Cluzel in seventh.

Sykes remains the points leader and having finished ahead of Guintoli both times at Intercity, extends his advantage to eight over the Aprilia rider. Laverty’s performance brings him closer to title contention and he now sits 26 points adrift of the leader in third. Melandri dropped back to fourth, 33 points behind Sykes.

World Superbike Istanbul Race 2 Results 2013: 
1. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia) 
2. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 
3. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) 
4. Marco Melandri (BMW) 
5. Toni Elias (Aprilia) 
6. Chaz Davies (BMW) 
7. Jules Cluzel (Suzuki) 
8. Leon Haslam (Honda) 
9. Davide Giugliano (Aprilia) 
10. Michel Fabrizio (Honda) 
11. Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki) 
12. Federico Sandi (Kawasaki) 
13. Vittorio Iannuzzo (BMW) 
14. Tolga Uprak (Kawasaki) 
15. Yunus Ercelik (BMW) 
 
Bookmark and Share