WSBK: Race 1 at Donington Park Decided by Fuel

World Superbike came to Donington Park this weekend, and in Race 1 three riders broke away from the pack at blistering speed. With only two riders capable of pushing further, it looked like the race victory would be decided on the very last lap. Coming into the last few corners, a fuel issue upset what could have been a great finish. Continue reading for the spoilers.

Ben Spies, Max Biaggi, and Noriyuki Haga, all broke away early from the group. Spies lead off the line, and set the tone for the rest of the race. With a blistering pace, Haga couldn’t keep in touch with Biaggi and the Texan, and slowly faded into a race of his own.

The race between Spies and Biaggi was closely faught, with Spies being the faster man in the first half of the track, and Biaggi quicker in the second half. Biding his time the whole race, Max finally made his move in the last lap. Closing within striking distance in the last few corners, Biaggi sprung his trap, but almost immediately it was apparent something was wrong.

Shaking the bike back and forth, it was clear the RSV4 had run out of fuel in the back section of the track. Getting some fuel back into the system by sloshing it around, Biaggi got the RSV4 running again, but limped across the finish line, still holding onto his 2nd place position.

With Biaggi’s problems, Spies won the race easily with a 7 second lead, and Haga would finish a few second behind Biaggi, showing how much time the pair had made over the Japanese rider and the rest of the field.

Results from Race 1 of World Superbike at Donington Park, UK: