Frankie Chili was a popular winner of Race 1 WSB race at Laguna Seca.
Race 1 of the
World Superbike race started less than perfect, as
Aaron Yates lost the front end entering Turn 2 on the first lap, cruelly scuttling Franki Chili, championship points leader Neil Hodgson and Eric Bostrom, resulting in a mass of tumbling blue, yellow, green and red bikes. The race, thankfully, was red-flagged, so the downed riders could take part in the full restart.
Unfortunately, Eric Bostrom was injured in the mess. He suffered a dislocated right shoulder and did not make the race restart.
At the second green flag, it was Regis Laconi who took the holeshot ahead of pre-race favorite Mat Mladin. Gregorio Lavilla and Franki Chili gave chase.
Laconi continued to hold off Mad Mat through the opening laps, while Ruben Xaus moved up from his seventh-place starting position to move past Chili into fourth.
James Haydon and Ivan Clementi collided in Turn 11, the first of many to retire from the race.
Mladin took over the lead when Laconi lost traction exiting Turn 11. Xaus tucked under Spanish compatriot Lavilla to take third, then made a bold outside move on Laconi in Turn 11 to move into second.
On lap 7, Laconi puts in a 26.0, the best lap of the race, while Xaus closed in on leader Mladin. Xaus barged by the AMA rider in Turn 2 to take the lead of the race.
Meanwhile, Mladin's Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Aaron Yates was way back in ninth running mid-27s.
While championship points leader Neil Hodgson closed in on the leading quartet of Xaus, Mladin, Laconi and Chili, Xaus took himself out of the race by crashing in Turn 11 with a 1-second lead.
"I was leading pretty easily and my lap times were consistent," explained Xaus, "but I had a really hard tire and I pushed it too much at the slowest corner of the track and crashed."
By the mid-way point of the 28-lap feature, Mladin was down in third behind Laconi and Chili, while Hodgson, Toseland, Lavilla, Walker, Yates, Bussei and Corser rounded out the top 10.
Mladin finished 4th in race one but was a no show in race 2 - Laguna Seca.
The 39-year-old Chili was pressuring leader Laconi, and it worked, as Laconi lost the front end in Turn 2 and crashed out of the race.
Mladin was struggling with grip and began dropping back into the clutches of Hodgson. The Fila Ducati rider cruised past Mladin on the front straight to take over the second spot, while Toseland, in fourth, closed in on the Australian.
"My second place was one of the best I've ever earned becasue it was a really difficult race," said Hodgson. "I've not felt comfortable all weekend with the set-up, but in the race I just took my time. It's difficult to pass 'round here and you have to wait for people to make mistakes, so thankfully people make mistakes!"
Of the top four, only Mladin was running outside the 1:26-second range. Toseland stole the final podium position from Mladin on lap 23. Lavilla was the last of many retirements when he crashed hard in Turn 10, leaving only 13 riders remaining to finish out the race.
"Once I saw that I was up to fourth and closing on Mladin, I had to bide my time," explained HM Plant's James Toseland. "It was difficult to overtake him because my front tire had started to push. Fortunately, he had a big slide at turn four and I was able to get underneath him at the next corner. After that I knew that I was faster and pulled away." Frankie Chili, while not the likely favorite to win the race, was a popular winner in front of the tens of thousands of sun-soaked fans at Laguna. The Italian held his 2-second gap on Hodgson to take the victory, his first since Donington in 2001. Toseland held onto third in front of a disappointed Mladin. It was the first time all weekend the Suzuki rider didn't top the time sheets.
World Superbike Race 1 Results:
1. Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati)
2. Neil Hodgson (Fila Ducati)
3. James Toseland (HM Plant Ducati)
4. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki)
5. Chris Walker (HM Plant Ducati)
6. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki)
7. Giovanni Bussei (Ducati Austin)
8. Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas)
9. Mauro Sanchini (Kawasaki Bertocchi)
10. Marco Borciani (DFX Racing Ducati)
Much like Race 1, Race 2 didn't exactly go according to plan for several on the grid at Laguna Seca.
Ruben Xaus earned a commanding victory in front of thousands of sun-baked race fans in race two at Laguna Seca.
Pre-race favorite
Mat Mladin was a no-show for Race 2 after fading to fourth place in Race 1. "After this weekend I'm just out of gas," said Mladin in a press release. "It's just been too big of a weekend. With all the crashes and with what happened to Eric Bostrom, I just didn't want to go out and try to be a hero. I'd rather play it smart." Team members admit that Mat was thoroughly exhausted upon finishing the first race, and his crew had to "catch" his bike when he pulled into the pits.
Another AMA favorite, Eric Bostrom, would also sit out the race after a first lap incident in Race 1, leaving Aaron Yates to uphold American honor.
Laconi started from pole in place of Mladin, and holeshotted Frankie Chili,
James Toseland, Yates,
Ruben Xaus and Neil Hodgson.
Things went all wrong for surprise Race 1 winner Chili when he highsided himself in Turn 5 and limped away from the crash.
Yates flew the American flag high when he passed Laconi for the lead in Turn 11, and the Yoshimura Suzuki rider was followed through by Toseland and Xaus. Xaus, who crashed out of the lead in Race 1, moved past Toseland in Turn 5 on the same lap, then past Yates and into first on a strong run down the front straight.
The Spaniard began an inexorable push to gap the rest of the pack, while Toseland and then Hodgson pulled Yates down front straight on lap 6. Xaus ran the fastest lap of race, a 1:26.6, on lap 7 to pull more than two seconds on Hodgson, Toseland, Yates, Lavilla, Walker, Laconi, Bussei and Corser.
"I wanted to show everyone I am the fastest and the winner here," said an excited Xaus. "I found in the morning warm-up that I had the right tire to last 28 laps and be capable of running low-26s, and that gave me the power for the race. I could have won two races, but that's okay. I know I am getting better and better all the time."
Yates was now getting pressure from Lavilla who was riding the other Suzuki in the race, eventually succumbing to the Alstare Suzuki rider.
Meanwhile, the HM Plant Ducati 998F02 of Toseland was staying close to the factory Ducati 999 of Hodgson in second place. Toseland and Hodgson swapped second place three times in a single lap, with the young Toseland coming out on top before pulling away from the series points leader.
Lavilla, who crashed hard in Race 1 and was in the medical center getting iced between races, was being stalked by Chris "the Stalker" Walker while Yates tried to keep pace.
With 10 of 28 laps remaining, Laconi and Bussei closed in on the Lavilla-Walker-Yates battle. The Foggy Petronas of Troy Corser retired on lap 15.
While running with Hodgson, Toseland crashed out of the race. Hodgson was affected by the crash, and that promoted Toseland's teammate Walker up to second place.
“It was all going so well and then I had my second podium finish of the day taken away from me," explained Toseland. "I'm obviously very disappointed, but I'm pleased for Chris at the same time. On a positive note, I've strengthened my position in the championship overall and we're going to the next round in top form.”
Xaus was enjoying a 14-second lead on the six-rider pack consisting of Walker, Lavilla, Yates, Hodgson, Laconi and Bussei. Then Yates went inside of Lavilla in the entry to the legendary Corkscrew to take third spot.
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With six laps remaining, Hodgson blew by Yates down the front straight, taking over the final podium spot. On the next lap, Hodgson used the power of the Ducati 999 to power by last year's factory Ducati of Chris Walker.
"Race 2 was probably the most eventful race of my career," said Hodgson. "I've never seen so many crazy thing happening, especially on the first lap. I nearly crashed, then Frankie somersaulted, and then James crashed in front of me and I ran off the track into the gravel. Thankfully I finished second - points are everything because I want to win the championship."
The multitude of American fans were saddened when their man Yates crashed out of the race on the entry to Turn 11 on lap 25. The Suzuki cousin of Lavilla was passed by Laconi when the Ducati rider took over the fourth spot on the last lap.
Xaus was able to stay upright this time to hang on for the win over his usually dominant teammate Hodgson. Chris Walker was delighted to score another World Superbike podium finish.
“That was a brilliant race and I really enjoyed dicing with the leading pack once again,” said an exuberant Walker. “I guess that I had a bit of luck and things went my way, but I'm pleased with the result. I would like to thank the team for all of their hard work and everyone else who has supported me. We have made a lot of progress this weekend and we can take many positive things with us to the next round.”
World Superbike Race 2 Results:
1. Ruben Xaus (Fila Ducati)
2. Neil Hodgson (Fila Ducati)
3. Chris Walker (HM Plant Ducati)
4. Regis Laconi (Carrachi Ducati)
5. Gregorio Lavilla (Alstare Suzuki)
6. Giovanni Bussei (Ducati Austin)
7. Juan Borja (Ducati)
8. Mauro Sanchini (Kawasaki Bertocchi)
9. Marco Borciani (DFX Racing Ducati)
10. Lucio Pedercini (Pedercini Ducati)
World Superbike Championship Points:
1. Neil Hodgson - 355
2. Ruben Xaus - 233
3. James Toseland - 201
4. Regis Laconi - 187
5. Gregorio Lavilla - 166
6. Chris Walker - 156
7. Pierfrancesco Chili - 143
8. Steve Martin - 95
9. Marco Borciani - 93
10. Lucio Pedercini - 91
