WSBK: Race 2 at Kyalami, South Africa

With Race 1 full of cliff-hanger moments, South African fans at the Kyalami circuit eagerly awaited the second race of World Superbike south of the Equator. Enough with the Hyperbole, continue reading to see a full race report from Race 2, complete with spoilers.

Race 2 at Kyalami, started similar to how it had in Race 1. Haga led from the start, but was passed by Ben Spies on lap 2. A lap later, Spies had to leave the race with a technical problem, leaving Haga and teammate Michel Fabrizio all alone at the front of the pack. Twice, Fabrizio got close enough to Haga to attempt a pass on the Japanese rider during the final lap. However, in both attempts Fabrizio ran wide post-apex, which let Haga take the lead back. Haga would win the race, with Fabrizio close on his heals. Johnny Rea came home in 3rd, holding off the advances by both Leon Haslam and Max Biaggi.

Noriyuki Haga’s double in South Africa combined with Ben Spies mechanical woes means Haga now has the championship very firmly in his hands. With almost half of the WSBK series behind us, Haga’s 85 point lead over teammate Michel Fabrizio and the 88 point lead over Ben Spies presents a huge hurdle to overcome. Haga is showing that consistency is the key in WSBK racing with his 6 wins out of 12 races, 5 second places, and just a solitary DNF. Compare that to Ben Spies’s results of 5 wins, 1 second, 1 third, 3 DNF’s, and 2 10th or worse finishes.

Result of World Superbike Race 2 at Kyalami, South Africa: