WSBK 2013: Aragon Race Report
Mon, 15 Apr 2013
BMW Motorrad Goldbet racer Chaz Davies scored his first career World Superbike double victory, taking both races at Spain’s Aragon circuit. The wins were the second and third of Davies’ WSBK career (the first came last year at Nurburgring for the ParkinGo Aprilia team) and the second ever double in the series for BMW.
The Welsh rider and former AMA Pro Racing competitor has had some success at Aragon, getting his first career WSBK podium at the Spanish track in 2012. Davies continued his good form, taking third in the Superpole to start on the front row.
Race OneDavies benefited from the misfortune of two championship contenders in Kawasaki‘s Tom Sykes and Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty. Sykes jumped to an early lead from pole position but soon lost it to Laverty. The Aprilia rider led for the first three laps but had to pull into the pits on Lap Four due to a mechanical problem.
Sykes then held the reins for a lap before he too suffered a mechanical breakdown and was forced to withdraw. This handed the lead to Davies who led the rest of the 20-lap race for the win.
Meanwhile, Davies’ teammate Marco Melandri battled Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli for the other two podium positions. Guintoli had the advantage for most of the race before Melandri pulled ahead on Lap 13. It looked like it would be a one-two finish for BMW until Melandri experienced a false neutral, dropping him a couple of places and eventually settled for third behind Guintoli.
Race TwoThe second race started with a bit of a delay as Suzuki‘s Jules Cluzel had difficulty finding neutral. The problem delayed the start, forcing organizers to shorten the race to 19 laps. Cluzel was forced to wheel himself to the pit for the start. When the race began, it was Laverty taking the holeshot followed by Sykes and Davies. Laverty’s lead was short-lived however as he low-sided on the second turn, ending his race. He later attributed the crash to cold tires from the delay caused by Cluzel’s problems.
Sykes took over the lead but ran wide on a turn on Lap 2, ceding the lead to Davies. The BMW rider led the rest of the way for another easy victory. Guintoli sat in second for nearly the entire race for another podium while Sykes recovered from his early miscue to finish third.
2013 WSBK: Aragon Race One Top Five Results Pos. Rider Motorcycle Gap 1 Chaz Davies BMW S1000RR - 2 Sylvain Guintoli Aprilia RSV4 Factory +5.216 3 Marco Melandri BMW S1000RR +7.089 4 Jonathan Rea Honda CBR1000RR +8.196 5 Loris Baz Kawasaki ZX-10R +14.417 2013 WSBK: Aragon Race Two Top Five Results Pos. Rider Motorcycle Gap 1 Chaz Davies BMW S1000RR - 2 Sylvain Guintoli Aprilia RSV4 Factory +5.035 3 Tom Sykes Kawasaki ZX-10R +7.677 4 Davide Giugliano Aprilia RSV4 Factory +12.549 5 Marco Melandri BMW S1000RR +19.766 2013 WSBK Championship Standings after 2 Rounds Pos. Rider Team Points 1 Sylvain Guintoli Aprilia Racing 85 2 Chaz Davies BMW S1000RR 63 3 Eugene Laverty Aprilia Racing 45 4 Marco Melandri BMW Motorrad Goldbet 43 5 Michel Fabrizio Red Devils Rome Aprilia 42[Source: WSBK; Photos by respective race teams]
By Dennis Chung
See also: More European Consumers Choosing Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission, 2013 AMA Supercross Minneapolis Race Report, 2013 AMA Supercross Minneapolis Race Report.