by Mark Appleton
Max Biaggi - Magny-Cours 2012
Max Biaggi took his sixth world title at Magny-Cours yesterday as the 41-year old pipped Brit Tom Sykes to the crown by just half a point.
Rain, which had fallen copiously during the night, made the track treacherous and it cost Max Biaggi dearly straight away in a sliding crash during the fifth lap of Race 1.
Max’s attempts to get his RSV4 back on the track proved to be in vain due to the amount of damage done to the bike. The Aprilia Racing team mechanics did their best to put the RSV4 back together so that Max could defend his leadership in Race 2. In fact, the first race served well the closest rivals as they dangerously reduced Biaggi’s advantage. Finishing in third place in Race 1, Sykes reduced the gap to 14.5 points and Melandri (2nd place) to 19.5.
And this was the situation going into the race which would decide the championship. Sykes rocketed out to take the lead and immediately demonstrated that the win was within a shout for him, a result which would have forced Biaggi to take at least fifth in order to maintain a minimum advantage in the standings. And in fact this was the case, but Biaggi had to battle in the pack and only after putting the Ducati’s, ridden by Checa and Giugliano, was he able to concern himself with maintaining the position which, with a 0.5 point advantage, crowned him World Champion at the end of a season which will forever be remembered as one of the most exciting, evenly matched and heated in the history of Superbike.
“This is the fourth world championship out of six that I’ve won in the last race” said Biaggi. “I guess I must like a difficult challenge! The 2012 season was tight to say the least: we started off well winning at Phillip Island after completely revamping my team, but we also had some difficult moments. We definitely worked for the title and maybe that’s why it’s an even sweeter victory. I’d like to thank the Team, Aprilia and Piaggio Group, from president Colaninno to the last worker because my success is just the tip of a great Italian company’s work. I would also like to thank my family, my girlfriend Eleonora and my two children, as well as the always present Marino Laghi”.
Finishing third and first in the Magny-Cours races Tom Sykes only lost the world championship by half a point, in the closest finish the series has seen in all its 25 years.
Sykes and his team had to overcome the wet conditions that suddenly showed up on raceday morning with little time for preparations by his crew, but despite this Tom rode his Ninja ZX-10R with style in race one, only giving best to rain specialist Sylvain Guintoli and Marco Melandri. Eventual champion Biaggi fell and no-scored in race one and gave Sykes an opportunity to win the title in race two.
Tom led with conviction and pace for the whole of race two, seeing off an early challenge from Eugene Laverty to record his fourth race victory of the season. Biaggi was fifth in race two and that was enough for the Italian rider to win his second world championship by only half a point.
Sykes, wearing a Joan Lascorz tribute helmet this weekend in honour of his injured team-mate, won the hearts of the crowd with his brilliant determination and spirit to be champion against the odds, having made up 30 points on Biaggi and only losing the chance of overall victory by half a point because of a quirk of the championship scoring rules.
“We were on pole, took a new circuit record, got a podium and then a win and pulled back 30 points on Max Biaggi” said Sykes. “Not easy against a rider of his level. Yes, obviously there is a massive disappointment on one hand because we were only half a point from the world championship! But on the other hand, being realistic, we are very happy and we have - by far - overachieved on expectations this year. We have been very strong and I think this weekend we have been particularly strong; partly because of this Joan Lascorz replica helmet I am wearing. I have had massive support here from my family, friends and the Kawasaki fans so to sum up my year it has been fantastic. I really appreciate that Kawasaki, Provec; all the team our sponsors, Motocard, Leo Vince and all of them have put us in the situation of fighting for the world championship. Hopefully next year we can be very consistent from the start.”
Loris Baz, Sykes’ team-mate had a tough home weekend, going tenth in race one then falling hard at high speed in race two. He was taken to hospital for tests afterwards but was later released, suffering just extensive bashes and bruises. He finishes his season as a replacement for the injured Joan Lascorz in 13th place, having only joined the series in Donington.
“It was not the kind of home race weekend I wanted but we got a bit unlucky when we lost some track time early in practice” said Baz. I got sick on Saturday as well so it was not easy to ride but felt a bit better today. I started off confident to have a good result in the wet race one but I just did not have the same feeling as I had in warm-up. Had I not run-on I think I had the pace for about seventh or eighth.
“Following Max in race two I just hit a slippery patch and had a very big highside crash. I had a bad pain in my back and ribs but nothing was broken and then I developed a sore head. We went to hospital for tests just to check but everything is OK. We have some testing on the bike again soon so it is good to not have any injuries and although I am not 100% fit right now, I will be OK for testing which will really help our preparations for next year.”
It was a bittersweet ending to the 2012 SBK championship for Althea Racing and its riders Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano. Despite high expectations and the desire to send the Ducati 1198 into retirement in the best possible way, the races were far from easy; Checa crashed out in the first race, while Giugliano finished eighth, while in race 2 the Althea pair crossed the line together, Davide in sixth, Carlos seventh.
“It was a strange weekend” said Checa. “A pity for the crash in race 1 but conditions were difficult and the track was very slippery, these things happen. Then in the second I didn’t have the same feelings that I’d had yesterday, the bike seemed different and was moving a lot more. This made it hard and I couldn’t lap with the kind of times that I expected. Anyway the season is over, it was long and we had highs and lows along the way. I’m happy to close in fourth overall because considering the problems we’ve had I don’t think the final result is bad.”
“The first race was pretty unlucky for us” said Giugliano. “We knew we had good pace and I think we had the potential to finish perhaps third but I had some small problems that prevented me from achieving that – first I had an issue with the gears and then I made a couple of small mistakes, meaning I lost a lot of time. In the second race, to tell the truth, I had this dream of winning it. Unfortunately I lost a lot of time when Melandri crashed in front of me and I knew it wouldn’t be possible. But anyway I finished ahead of my team-mate and I also won my first Pirelli award for having made the fastest lap, so I’m happy about that.”
Marco Melandri, who rode with two broken ribs, finished second in the first race. Therefore he kept his title chances alive as well as BMW’s chances of winning the Manufacters’ crown. But in the second race, a wet patch on the track, which made Marco lose control of his BMW S 1000 RR, ended all hopes. Leon Haslam), who at Magny-Cours was competing in his last round as a BMW Motorrad factory rider, finished fifth in the first race but also crashed in the second heat.
“It felt good to finish a race on the podium again after the last two unfortunate race weekends” said Melandri. “My BMW S 1000 RR was working very well. In the first couple of laps of race one I was still struggling a bit with warming up the tyre, but once the tyre was working I could go at quite a good pace. Anyhow, it was a tough race and I did not want to overpace and risk too much. Unfortunately the track dried up more and more, which did not play into my hands. When I finally passed Tom the track was not really wet anymore, and in these conditions I had no chance to follow Sylvain who really showed a strong performance today. “The track conditions were very difficult in race two. I pushed 100 per cent but I could not change direction quickly. When I crashed I must have hit a wet patch, and I lost the rear of my RR. My back and my leg are very sore now. Overall, this was a great season for us. We can be proud of what we have achieved. When we started the season we were quite far from the top guys. We closed the gap quickly and fought with them for the rest of the season. We won races, but we also had some bad luck and I made mistakes. Everything was possible this year, and we can be happy. I hope to start from that point next year. A big ‘Thank You’ to all the team in Germany and at the track.”
“In race one I had a few issues with the grip and the electronics, and on top of that I made a few mistakes” said Haslam. “Finishing the race in fifth is a bit disappointing as I know a podium would have been possible. I had a good start in the second race, but struggled getting into first gear in a few corners. I also got a false neutral coming down the hill in the last stadium section. I had to release the brakes so as not to hit Eugene Laverty and ran off the track. I came back in eighth and tried to follow the group around Max Biaggi when I hit a wet patch. This put me down again. I am a bit disappointed about finishing the season this way, and I am also disappointed for my crew and the team who did an outstanding job all season long. Thanks to all of them guys. Max Biaggi again was Mister Consistent, congratulations for another World Championship. Anyhow, I feel a bit sorry for Tom who did some great racing this year. Losing the World Championship by only half a point is hard to take.”
FIXI Crescent Suzuki racer Leon Camier picked himself up from a huge crash in the first race of today’s eni FIM Superbike World Championship race at Magny-Cours in France to record a brave 10th place in race two.
Camier had made his way up to sixth place by the end of lap nine in race one, despite the treacherous conditions caused by heavy rain around the 4,411m French circuit. He then suffered a huge crash which resulted in him being catapulted off his Yoshimura-powered GSX-R and into the gravel. The Englishman was pinned under his machine and could only get to his feet once the marshals had removed his bike, made his own way back to the pits, but was obviously in a lot of pain.
Camier was passed fit for the second 23-lap race and lined up in the drier conditions in ninth on the grid.
“I am really happy with our performance in wet conditions, but race one was neither wet, nor dry and that is the worst possible scenario” said Camier. “All was going OK until I came out of turn 11 and was high-sided. I was flipped into the air and came down heavily on my left arm and head and then the bike landed on top of me and I couldn’t move. It seemed ages before it was removed and I was able to get up. I felt pretty sore, but luckily I hadn’t broken anything, even though my left arm had taken a right old battering.
“The FIXI Crescent Suzuki was in a bit of mess, but the boys did a great job to get it ready in time for race two and we lined up on the grid OK. Right from the start, I felt that the bike wasn’t quite right - not surprising really after its big crash - and it was difficult to ride. The electronics didn’t feel quite right and I didn’t get a great start, but I was determined to bring the bike home and that’s what I did. Although the season didn’t end the way I hoped, the progress the team have made with the FIXI Crescent Suzuki makes me feel very optimistic about the future. The bike has come on leaps-and-bounds since the beginning of the season and I’m already looking forward to my next time on it - once I’ve rested my left arm a bit!”
Jonathan Rea began race one from sixth place on the grid but a great start and a good set-up for his Honda CBR1000RR allowed the 25-year-old to move to the front and open a 10-second lead.
However, on lap 12, he was caught out by the conditions and crashed out, limping back to the pits for some repairs to his machine. Rea eventually re-joined the race to take three championship points at the flag.
Another good start to race two placed Rea fourth before he made a steady move forward, passing Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli to take his sixth podium of the season and consolidate fifth place in the final standings.
“I needed some wings in race one when I got caught out by the conditions but it was frustrating because my team gave me a great bike for the wet” said Rea. “Everything was feeling good but I felt a bit like an amateur when I was in the gravel. At the beginning of race two I was a bit wary of the conditions and although I was able to get to the front, Tom (Sykes) didn’t make any mistakes. I’m really happy to be part of this championship and congratulations to Max on a great job. At the end of a long season I want to thank the team for their continued hard work. On certain days we’ve struggled but, on others we’ve capitalised on the strengths of the bike through the great work ethic we have as a team. We’ll go away this winter and I’ll make sure I’m in the best condition possible for the 2013 season; I’m sure the team will do the same with the CBR.”
“This was my last weekend with the team and I wanted to make two good races” said Aoyama. “Unfortunately, I had some problems with the bike and the tyres, similar to the problems I’ve had all year. The guys have worked hard to solve the problems and we’ve tried a lot of things. It’s a pity that nothing really worked because it was a new challenge for me to come to Superbike and I was expecting a lot more. But it’s been a good experience for me with this Honda team so I want to say thank you to the guys and the sponsors who have supported us.”
Ayrton Badovini ended the two races in sixth and ninth while Michel Fabrizio was 12th in the first one and had a crash in the second and final race.
“This is surely not the way I wanted to end the season” said Fabrizio. “In Race 1 I had to stop at the end of lap three to change the tyre and I still finished the race, in the second one I crashed on a damp patch the same as at least other four riders did. I now want to say goodbye to the team and say thank you for the opportunity I got this year.”
“Today I finished both races in the top-ten” said Badovini, “which isn’t something I am fully satisfied about but, considering how the weekend was shaping up, I’m fairly happy about today’s results. Race 1 in the wet was very exciting especially on the last lap, while in the dry I had to ride defensively because we knew we were not at our best. I want to thank the team for the support given to me despite an up and down season.”
