WSBK: Race 2 at Imola Strictly an Italian Affair

Race 2 promised to have more close racing, as many riders in Race 1 proved they could race near the top (not to mention, many riders in WSBK have contracts up for renewal). With Imola being the home track for the Ducati loyal, a lot of fans we’re waiting to see the red bikes up front.

Many Xerox Ducati fans were also keen to see if Haga could retake the lead in the World Superbike Championship standings with a strong showing at Imola. They would not be disappointed, a full race report after the jump.

For Race 2, we saw the true introduction of Marco Simoncelli, who raced a strong ride in Race 1, but ultimately crashed while in 5th place. Simoncelli clearly overcame his demons, finishing on the bottom step of the podium, and ahead of his teammate Max Biaggi, who finished the day 4th.

Ahead of the Aprilia’s were of course the Ducati’s. Wanting to win on his company’s home track, and in front of his fellow Italians, Michel Fabrizio finally got the “W” he was looking for this weekend.

While Haga lead most of the race, showing the same prowess from Race 1, it wasn’t until lap 13 that Fabrizio could get past his Japanese teammate. But once it was done, Fabrizio never looked back taking a comfortable lead. He would finish over 3.5 seconds ahead of Haga.

Entering into the mix at the front, Shane Byrne’s showed a promising ride. He was interrupted though as Marco Simoncelli made a very risky pass on Max Biaggi, which caused both Spies and Biaggi to avoid the young Italian. Spies would have to take an off-road excursion to avoid the crash, costing him a spot. Spies would lose a place to Bryne because of the move, as Simoncelli found himself later in the top-three riders group…but that’s racing.

Because of this finish, Haga is now 3 points ahead of Ben Spies in the World Superbike Standings.

Results from Race 2 of World Superbike at Imola, Italy: