2012 Brno WSBK Race One: Damp Conditions Don't Last

After overnight rain and a very wet Superstock race, there was no chance that it would be declared a dry race, even though almost everyone judged it dry enough for full slicks. The first few laps looked like they would be damp, but the teams considered that it would dry out very quickly.

The race started with Tom Sykes taking an unusual line around the outside of the first few corners on the only properly dry areas while other riders took an assortment of lines. This weekend's sensation, Davide Giugliano, pushed past Sykes to the front. Maxime Berger started scything through the pack on cut slick tyres, eventually cashing in on his gamble enough to lead the race by the third lap, passing both Sykes and Giugliano effortlessly. Loris Baz and Sykes swapped places back and forth, while Jonathan Rea cut through to the front pack with Carlos Checa.

Giugliano was the first man to fall in the drying conditions, pushing to catch the leader Berger. Sykes, having retaken 2nd from Baz, closed on Berger while Rea closed on Baz. Marco Melandri was duelling with his team mate Leon Haslam for most of the race, but Haslam couldn't keep the pace of the front group. Eugene Laverty, however, did a very good job catching and staying with the front pack. Max Biaggi didn't have as much luck catching the front pack, but did manage excellent damage limition to get a 6th place.

The last third of the race was time for BMW's Marco Melandri to make his charge and he picked riders off at the same corner complex, lap by lap, until he passed Sykes for the lead. Sykes couldn't make a pass back. Rea and Checa closed up, but as Sykes went wide on one corner, squaring off the exit, Rea went for a rapidly diminishing gap and lost control of his Honda, rather than taking out Sykes. Checa grabbed a fist full of Brembo to avoid Rea and his tumbling bike, giving Baz 3rd place on the track.

Marco Melandri, who executed a considerable amount of aggressive passes to get to the front, took the win, ahead of Tom Sykes and Loris Baz's Kawasakis. Carlos Checa on his Ducati took fourth place ahead of the Aprilias of Eugene Laverty and Max Biaggi.

Fewer crashes than expected and no injuries from the four riders that went down, the conditions were beaten. Max Biaggi still leads the championship race, but Marco Melandri has reduced the lead to 33 points. 

Results: