Spies takes win number 9 in race 1
Sunday, 28 June 2009 12:24 GMT
Ben Spies continued to steamroller his way to the wins in World Superbike as he took his ninth victory of the year in the first race at Donington. After setting his eighth pole in qualifying, the Texan rider dominated the 23-lap race but he was shadowed all the way by Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing). The Italian ran faultlessly in second until the final lap, when Ben upped the ante to power to the chequered flag, but Biaggi also encountered a fuel feed problem a couple of hundred metres from the flag and risked losing out on second place. This was Biaggi's first podium since Qatar. Third went to points leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox, who limited the damage in a race where he was not in a position to challenge for the win. In the all-British battle for fourth place, Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda) got the better of Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati). Aprilia's excellent race 1 was completed by a sixth place for Shinya Nakano. Home idol and Misano winner Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) could only finish in seventh place, ahead of a positive John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda). Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) had a gearbox problem and could only finish 12th, while Ruben Xaus scored one point for BMW.
