Biaggi wins race one

Published: 23 February 2007 Updated: 24 November 2014

Biaggi wins in Qa

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Max Biaggi has won the opening race of the 2007 WSB season – his first race for over a year and his first ever race in World Superbikes.

The Roman Emperor had to fight for his win after he and James Toseland escaped the pack at the front and battled for the lead.

In the first half of the lap Toseland was losing time accelerating out of the tighter slower corners. But on the faster second half of the lap was closing Biaggi down and appeared much faster on the long finish straight.

Toseland’s sheer determination prevented the race from becoming a total whitewash as the leading pair finished over twelve seconds in front of the remaining field.

From the green light it looked like the Yamaha riders, Corser and Haga, would continue their good for in superpole but as the race wore on both dropped down into the middle of the pack.

Yamaha have historically had tyre issues at the Losail circuit, and although they were using the same 2007 tyres as everyone else the team knew they would be struggling with race distance.

2006 World Champion Troy Bayliss lapped consistently in the race, but couldn’t fend off a late surge from team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi who stormed to the final spot on the rostrum after pipping Yukio Kagayama to third in the last few laps.

The surprise of the race was 23 year-old German rider Max Neukirchner. He managed to finish sixth, ahead of a lot of factory riders aboard his 2006 Suzuki Germany GSX-R1000.

There were few crashes with Michel Fabrizio falling on the opening lap and team-mates Fonsi Nieto and Regis Laconi taking each other out at turn one, but later embracing each other with a hug in the gravel trap.

Britain’s Dean Ellison took the final point finishing 15th in his first WSB race.

RESULTS:

1. Max Biaggi

2. James Toseland

3. Lorenzo Lanzi

4. Yukio Kagayama

5. Troy Bayliss

6. Max Neukirchner

7. Roberto Rolfo

8. Nori Haga

9. Troy Corser

10. Ruben Xaus