2014 WSBK – Aragon Results

Reigning World Superbike Champion Tom Sykes put on a clinic this weekend, leading every lap in both races to claim a pair of wins at Spain’s Motorland Aragon circuit.

Sykes’ Kawasaki teammate Loris Baz was right there with him, recording a pair of second-place podiums to give Team Green a pair of one-two finishes. Sykes and Baz were also one-two in the Superpole qualifying on this nearly flawless weekend for the Kawasaki factory team.

Sykes led from the opening corner while Baz slotted behind in second and Ducati‘s Davide Giugliano in third. Giugliano and Baz swapped positions a couple of times in the first three laps, which helped Sykes build on his lead.

Baz and Giugliano continued their duel the rest of the race until the final lap when Honda‘s Jonathan Rea jumped into the fray, passing Giugliano on the long straight heading into the final corner. Seeing one final chance for the podium, Giugliano tried to squeeze through on the inside but ran into Rea and slid onto his side. Rea remained upright and held on for the final podium position while Giugliano was able to remount, finishing well back in fifth.

BMW Motorrad Italia rider Leon Camier was the highest-finishing EVO class rider, crossing the finish in 12th place. The Bimota Alstare team made its debut in Aragon with Ayrton Badovini edging out Kawasaki’s factory EVO rider David Salom for 13th while his teammate Christian Iddon made his WSBK class debut finishing 17th. The Bimota BB3 is still awaiting full homologation approval however, so neither results were official and Badovini did not receive the three championship points his result would have earned.

Track temperatures rose in the afternoon for the second race, increasing from the 16-degree temperature of the morning race to 90 degrees for Race 2. The warmer temperatures didn’t change the start however, as Sykes again shot off to an early lead with Baz on his tail.

The heat did seem to help Aprilia‘s Marco Melandri who complained about tire issues in Race One. Melandri was sixth after the first lap but established a strong pace and worked his way up to third by Lap 9.

The gap between the three lead riders closed on the final laps. Baz momentarily took the lead but Sykes grabbed it back, with Melandri following him into second. Melandri saw an opening on the final lap, moving into the lead but braked wide on the final corner, allowing both Sykes and Baz to slip through.

Salom was the top EVO rider, finishing 10th overall. Badovini once again was fast enough to score points, finishing an unofficial 12th for Alstare Bimota.

Sykes jumps into the championship lead thanks to his Aragon double with Baz four points behind in second. Guintoli drops down to third, just ahead of his Aprilia teammate Melandri.

The 2014 WSBK Championship continues April 27 at the TT Assen Circuit in the Netherlands.

[Source: WSBK; photos by respective race teams]

By Dennis Chung