Submitted by Kropotkin on
Results and synopsis of World Superbike Race 1 at Misano:
Ben Spies added his name to the record books once again after winning the first ever flag-to-flag race run in World Superbikes. The race started out on a wet track, the rain having stopped, with the sun breaking out from behind the clouds in the second half of the race.
Spies struggled in the early stages, but once he got out on dry tires, he went on to destroy the rest of the field. Shane Byrne took off from the line and built up a huge lead, but stayed out a couple of laps too long, and lost out to Spies with 6 laps to go. Michel Fabrizio just held off the storming Jakub Smrz to take the final spot on the podium. With Noriyuki Haga finishing in 5th, Spies pulled back 12 points in the championship race, closing the gap to just 39 points.
| Pos | No | Rider | Country | Bike | Diff |
| 1 | 19 | B. Spies | USA | Yamaha YZF R1 | |
| 2 | 67 | S. Byrne | GBR | Ducati 1098R | 7.931 |
| 3 | 84 | M. Fabrizio | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 11.836 |
| 4 | 96 | J. Smrz | CZE | Ducati 1098R | 11.886 |
| 5 | 41 | N. Haga | JPN | Ducati 1098R | 31.670 |
| 6 | 71 | Y. Kagayama | JPN | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 | 33.241 |
| 7 | 65 | J. Rea | GBR | Honda CBR1000RR | 35.772 |
| 8 | 66 | T. Sykes | GBR | Yamaha YZF R1 | 41.931 |
| 9 | 56 | S. Nakano | JPN | Aprilia RSV4 Factory | 51.507 |
| 10 | 14 | M. Lagrive | FRA | Honda CBR1000RR | 59.921 |
| 11 | 7 | C. Checa | ESP | Honda CBR1000RR | 1'04.285 |
| 12 | 91 | L. Haslam | GBR | Honda CBR1000RR | 1'04.313 |
| 13 | 3 | M. Biaggi | ITA | Aprilia RSV4 Factory | 1'19.822 |
| 14 | 111 | R. Xaus | ESP | BMW S1000 RR | 1'22.412 |
| 15 | 53 | A. Polita | ITA | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 | 1'31.635 |
| 16 | 2 | J. Hacking | USA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 1'39.830 |
| 17 | 23 | B. Parkes | AUS | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 1'42.964 |
| 18 | 10 | F. Nieto | ESP | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 | 1'43.303 |
| 19 | 57 | L. Lanzi | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 1 Lap |
| 20 | 77 | V. Iannuzzo | ITA | Honda CBR1000RR | 1 Lap |
| 21 | 94 | D. Checa | ESP | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1 Lap |
| 22 | 36 | G. Lavilla | ESP | Ducati 1098R | 1 Lap |
| 23 | 25 | D. Salom | ESP | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 1 Lap |
| RET | 99 | L. Scassa | ITA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 4 Laps |
| RET | 15 | M. Baiocco | ITA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 9 Laps |
| RET | 11 | T. Corser | AUS | BMW S1000 RR | |
| RET | 9 | R. Kiyonari | JPN | Honda CBR1000RR | |
| NS | 121 | J. Hopkins | USA | Honda CBR1000RR | |
| EX | 88 | R. Resch | AUT | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 |
Comments
I knew Spies may have a fire
I knew Spies may have a fire lit under him after missing out on the first Superpole of the year for him. I also find it ironic that the top Kawasaki rider in this race was Hacking who has not ridden this bike too much and is in the world of racing relatively old. Good for him though. I'd like to see him in WSBK next year full time.