Imola WSB: Haga wins race one

Xerox Ducati rider Noriyuki Haga took his first ever race win at Imola in the first World Superbike race of the day ahead of Italian Max Biaggi.

Italian Biaggi led the race from the start and set a comfortable pace at the front, but Haga battled from from fourth to take the lead towards the end of the race.

Xerox Ducati rider Michel Fabrizio looked odds on for second place, until Max Biaggi mad a last lap, last corner lunge to beat his fellow Italian to the line.

Rookie Ben Spies was unable to battle with the top three and kept his cool to bring the Yamaha home in fourth.

Brit Jonathan Rea rode a good race after crashing early on in the race, but remounting to finish seventh.

Fellow Brits Leon Haslam and Tom Sykes finished sixth and ninth respectively, with Shane Byrne crashing mid way through the race.

Reigning 250GP world champion Marco Simoncelli had a good race, moving upto sixth place before crashing out.

1  41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 38’32.199 (161,388 kph)
2   3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2.074
3  84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 2.190
4  19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 5.438
5   9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 14.470
6  91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 14.685
7  65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 26.822
8  96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 32.694
9  66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 33.817
10  23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 34.801
11  11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 35.286
12 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 36.442
13  31 Muggeridge K. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 38.698
14  15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 42.147
15  71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 46.510
16  99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 46.628
17  94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R1 1’16.121
18  25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’16.398