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Laguna Seca – the pre-race stats

Thursday, 10 July 2014 18:41 GMT

Some useful statistics about the US Round.
 

WorldSBK.com provides some interesting numbers about the upcoming US round at Laguna Seca.

Tom Sykes last year hit the spotlight in both races: qualified in second, he won race one and in race two he led until two laps to the end, then he began to struggle with his tyres and was passed by Laverty, Giugliano and Melandri, finishing fourth.

Sylvain Guintoli last year started on pole and finished twice fifth: in race one he held fourth place until the last lap, when he was passed by Laverty, while in race two he ran a solitary fifth, closing the gap to the leading group only towards the end. Sylvain had two big opportunities cut short by the red flags, as he was leading by a good margin when the races were stopped.

Marco Melandri last year managed to hold second place for half of the first race, then he was passed by Davies and Laverty, finishing fourth. In race two he managed to clinch the podium on the last lap, passing Tom Sykes, and finishing third. Third place is also the best result in his six MotoGP races here: in 2006 behind Nicky Hayden and Daniel Pedrosa and in 2007 behind Casey Stoner and Chris Vermeulen.

Chaz Davies was second in race one last year: he passed Melandri and stayed with Sykes, but he wasn't able to overtake him. In race two he retired for brake failure.

Davide Giugliano was sixth last year in race one, at the tail of the leading group, while in race two he managed to climb from the seventh place he was on the opening lap to second at the flag, recording the fastest race lap.

Toni Elias was eighth and seventh last year, despite starting from fifteenth. He raced six times here in MotoGP, obtaining a sixth as best result, both in grid and in the race in 2006.

Eugene Laverty is the only rider which last year was able to climb on the podium in both races: third in race one, thanks to the overtakes on Guintoli and Melandri, while in race two he was passed by Giugliano and Sykes early on but was able to retake the lead two laps to the end, going on to win.

Four Superbike races for Leon Haslam in Laguna Seca: a ninth and a fall in 2004, again a fall and an eleventh last year.

David Salom was eleventh and ninth last year in Laguna Seca. That ninth place is to date his best career result, obtained this year also in Phillip Island race one and Sepang race one.

Niccolò Canepa obtained here one year ago the one that is, to date, his best grid spot: fourth. In race one he fell after the second start: the race was then stopped, but he wasn't able to take the third start; in race two he was fifth when, on the second lap, he fell on the first turn and was fifteenth at the flag.

Luca Scassa raced here in the American championship, finishing 30th and 23rd in the 2007 races.

Last year's experience in MotoGP for Claudio Corti was short-lived: fourteenth on the opening lap, after two laps he had to retire for engine failure.
Bryan Staring last year for many laps was fifteenth in the MotoGP race, but towards the end he had to slow down due to pain in the foot he injured in the race before, finishing seventeenth.

Geoff May took part in many races of the American championship in Laguna Seca: in recent times he was able to finish in sixth in 2012 and last year in race one.

Ayrton Badovini was ninth last year in race one, suffering from pain in his ankle, while in race two he fell while running fourteenth.

Aaron Yates ran eight Superbike races in Laguna Seca, scoring his best results in 2003, when he was sixth in race one from the fourth grid spot, that at the time was on the front row. Last year he raced on the American championship in this track, finishing seventh and fifth. His last podium in the aforementioned AMA championship dates back 2009, when he was third behind Matt Mladin and Blake Young.