Kawasaki's Tom Sykes scored the ninth and tenth wins of his World Superbike career with a double-victory performance at Imola, reports MotorcycleUSA. The Kawasaki rider now moves into the WSBK points lead thanks to the 1-1 result. The Englishman’s consistency at Imola contrasts his title rivals, with both Aprilia factory riders Sylvain Guintoli and Eugene Laverty each earning a DNF, to go with a third-place podium. Davide Giugliano and Jonathan Rea also nabbed second-place finishes on the day, to match DNF’s. Meanwhile BMW's Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies salvaged useful points from both races. Melandri finished 4th in both, while Davies was 6th and 5th.
The first SBK race saw Sykes work through the ranks to take the lead. The KRT rider and Giugliano separated from the field in the latter half of the contest, with the Althea Racing Aprilia man unable to keep pace with the ZX-10R. Giugliano paraded to the finish unchallenged for second-place – his first SBK podium this season.
Factory Aprilia’s Laverty fended off former Yamaha teammate, Marco Melandri for third-place – the BMW rider placing fourth. Another RSV4 rider, Michel Fabrizio, roundeds out the top five aboard his Red Devil’s Aprilia mount – one spot ahead of BMW’s Chaz Davies.
Race 1 was a reversal of fortune in the title hunt between Sykes and Guintoli, as the Frenchman gave up the lion’s share of his 28-point cushion by retiring from the contest on Lap 6. Aprilia PR explains Guintoli’s DNF “was forced by a technical problem with the engine.”
Another prominent DNF was Honda’s Rea, who crashed out in a battle for fourth and a possible podium. The Northern Irish racer started well but ran off-track on the first lap and fought back from outside the top 10 before his crash.
World Superbike Imola Race 1 Results:
1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki)
2. Davide Giugliano (Aprilia)
3. Eugen Laverty (Aprilia)
4. Marco Melandri (BMW)
5. Michel Fabrizio (Aprilia)
6. Chaz Davies (BMW)
7. Leon Camier (Suzuki)
8. Ayrton Badovini (Ducati)
9. Loris Baz (Kawasaki)
10. Leon Haslam (Honda)
Race 2
Sykes didn’t have to work quite so hard in the second race. The polesetter led every lap of the race and cruised to the checkers unchallenged. Rea and Guintoli recovered from their Race 1 disappointments to claim second and third respectively.
Melandri once again finished fourth, leading his teammate Davies. As for the Race 1 podium finishers behind Sykes, Giugliano and Laverty, both crashed to earn an ignoble DNF. The Race 2 win gives Sykes a six point lead in the points ahead of Guintoli. Laverty’s Race 2 DNF, crashing on Lap 6 trying to keep pace with the podium runners, is a distant third – 45 behind Sykes.
Said Sykes after his 1-1 weekend at Imola: “I have had two perfect weekends out of the last three events and for this I am truly happy. I enjoy this circuit so we have made the most of it. It is a special weekend for many reasons and also the incident last year with my 2012 team-mate Joan Lascorz. There was not one time on any lap when I have exited turn six and not thought about his accident. We are all thinking of Joan and I hope that this is a small, small tribute to him."
World Superbike Imola Race 2 Results:
1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki)
2. Jonathan Rea (Honda)
3. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia)
4. Marco Melandri (BMW)
5. Chaz Davies (BMW)
6. Loris Baz (Kawasaki)
7. Leon Camier (Suzuki)
8. Michel Fabrizio (Aprilia)
9. Leon Haslam (Honda)
10. Ayrton Badovini (Ducati)
2013 WSBK Championship Points Standings:
1. Tom Sykes, 235
2. Sylvain Guintoli, 229
3. Eugene Laverty, 190
4. Marco Melandri, 182
5. Chaz Davies, 154
6. Loris Baz, 136
7. Jonathan Rea, 125
8. Michel Fabrizio, 120
9. Davide Giugliano, 99
10. Leon Camier, 80
––Paul Duchene
