The 2012 World Superbike Championship headed to the famed Nurburgring circuit in Germany September 8-9 for round 12 of 14, but it was to be a bad weekend for the BMW team. Marco Melandri crashed out of both races, while Leon Haslam finished seventh in the first race and crashed in the second.
In race 2, Biaggi crashed but was able restart and finish 13th. Chaz Davies took his first-ever World SBK win, followed by Laverty and FIXI Crescent Suzuki's Leon Camier, respectively.
Race 1
At the start of race 1, Kawasaki Racing's Tom Sykes quickly got off the line from his second-position start, getting ahead of the 22-rider grid. Biaggi followed closely behind, and on lap 12 he passed Sykes for the lead. Biaggi would not be challenged again.
Behind, Sykes would remain in second, but gradually lost time. With five laps remaining, the ZX-10R rider would be passed by Laverty and Davies.
Biaggi took the win by 3.027 seconds ahead of Laverty, with Davies in third. Sykes finished fourth, followed by Camier in fifth.
At the start of thge weekend, BMW Motorrad's Marco Melandri had an 18-point lead over Biaggi. But due to Melandri's crash, Biaggi took the championship lead. It would be Biaggi's 21st WSBK-career victory, and his fifth this season.
Also crashing out of race 1 was Kawasaki Racing's Loris Baz, Althea Racing's Davide Giugliano, Honda World Superbike's Jonathan Rea, and BMW Motorrad's Italia GoldBet's Michel Fabrizio.
The reigning World SBK Champion, Althea Racing Ducati's Carlos Checa, also crashed out while in third position in the early stages of the race. The Spaniard would rejoin, and finish 12th.
Race 2
In the second race, it was once again Sykes who took the early lead. Biaggi crashed, falling to the back of the grid.
Melandri and Davies chased down Sykes, with Melandri eventually taking the lead by mid race. But luck wasn't on the Italian's side, and he suffered another crash, allowing Davies pass Sykes and take the lead.
Davies took the win by 3.022 seconds ahead of Laverty, who held off Camier. In fourth was Rea, with Sykes fifth, and Checa sixth.
Although he crashed and restarted from the back, Biaggi would finish 13th. Also crashing out was Team Effenbert Liberty Racing's Brett McCormick, BMW Motorrad's Leon Haslam, Fabrizio, and Team Pedercini Kawasaki's Alexander Lundh.
Heading into the penultimate round at Portimao in two weeks, Biaggi has 318 points, 9.5 ahead of Melandri. Sykes is in third with 291.5 points, setting up a close finish to the 2012 World Superbike title with only two rounds remaining. ––Paul Duchene
2012 Nurburgring World Superbike Results, Race 1:
1. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38'52.751
2. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38'55.778
3. Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 38'55.878
4. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 39'05.057
5. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 39'06.882
6. Sylvain Guintoli (PATA Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 39'12.274
7. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 39'19.768
8. Lorenzo Zanetti (PATA Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 39'25.867
9. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 39'27.688
10. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 39'31.883
11. Maxime Berger (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 39'33.751
12. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 39'33.876
13. John Hopkins (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 39'39.676
14. Lorenzo Lanzi (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) Ducati 1098R 39'47.410
15. Brett McCormick (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 39'49.093
16. Alexander Lundh (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 40'02.481
17. Norino Brignola (Grillini Progea Superbike Team) BMW S1000 RR 40'36.430
RT. Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 33'14.140
RT. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 9'40.675
RT. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 5'52.293
RT. Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 3'55.107
RT. Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR
Nurburgring World Superbike Results, Race 2:
1. Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 39'00.327
2. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 39'03.349
3. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 39'03.549
4. Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 39'06.032
5. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 39'07.631
6. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 39'07.868
7. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 39'15.036
8. Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 39'20.109
9. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 39'20.252
10. Sylvain Guintoli (PATA Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 39'20.355
11. Lorenzo Zanetti (PATA Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 39'25.980
12. John Hopkins (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 39'29.469
13. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 39'29.906
14. Maxime Berger (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 39'36.417
15. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 39'41.239
16. Lorenzo Lanzi (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) Ducati 1098R 39'50.728
17. Norino Brignola (Grillini Progea Superbike Team) BMW S1000 RR 39'24.912
RT. Brett McCormick (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 30'18.544
RT. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 17'36.790
RT. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 15'34.320
RT. Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 15'57.025
RT. Alexander Lundh (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 12'11.662
