MCN Donington WSB: Melandri takes first WSB win

Factory Yamaha rider Marco Melandri has taken his first win in WSB in the first race at the MCN-backed Donington WSB round.

Melandri was ninth after the first lap and had to battle past Biaggi and the rest of the front runners to catch the leader.

Leon Haslam took the holeshot into the first corner and opened up a gap on then second place man Leon Camier, but was unable to hold off Jakub Smrz , who stormed up the inside of Haslam at Scwantz on the sixth lap.

From there Smrz opened up a gap of 2.6 seconds on Haslam, before Melandri moved in to second place and set his sights on Smrz and first place.

Melandri closed the gap within five laps, and passed the Czech rider going in to the revamped Foggy Esses. From there the Italian opened up a gap of 2.4 seconds to ease to victory.

Carlos Checa, who was mid pack in the early stages of the race, managed to finish third, after passing Haslam at the Melbourne Loop on the last lap.

Tom Sykes was close to a podium for the amjority of the race, circulating in fourth, before he lowsided at the Foggy Esses on lap 17, his bike nearly colliding with the riders behind him.

Despite finishing seventh, Biaggi was in the thick of the action for the majority of the race, battling with Melandri in the early stages of the race, and Nori Haga and Jonathan Rea, before outbraking himself and having to ride through the gravel at the Esses on lap 19.

Eugene Laverty’s disappointing weekend continued after he crashed at Goddard’s on only the third lap and was unable to finish the race.

1. Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 34’33.189
2. Jakub Smrz (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 34’35.644
3. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 34’39.028
4. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 34’39.365
5. Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 34’42.228
6. Noriyuki Haga (PATA Racing Team Aprilia) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34’42.404
7. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34’43.149
8. Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34’48.049
9. Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 34’48.066
10. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34’49.371
11. Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 34’59.009
12. Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 35’01.567
13. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team) BMW S1000 RR 35’05.058
14. Roberto Rolfo (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 35’13.204
15. Mark Aitchison (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 35’33.317
RT. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike) Kawasaki ZX-10R 25’35.167
RT. Michel Fabrizio (Team Suzuki Alstare) Suzuki GSX-R1000 24’17.861
RT. Maxime Berger (Supersonic Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 7’43.215
RT. Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 4’37.934