Source: WSBK.

Following a difficult round in Sepang, the Kawasaki Racing Team was back on top form this weekend at Misano with reigning champion Tom Sykes taking the double, Loris Baz finishing with a brace of second places and David Salom leading the EVO field in both races.

Thanks to his third double of the season, Sykes has now a 39-point advantage over Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) and 41 over teammate Baz.

Despite still being second in the standings, Guintoli was on the back foot at the Misano World Circuit, missing out the podium and being edged again by his fellow works Aprilia rider Marco Melandri, who completed the podium in the two WSBK encounters of the seventh round.

“I am very pleasantly surprised at these results but I knew that the adrenaline and the concentration would give me something extra,” Sykes said. “It all went to plan in race one. I knew I had some limitation all weekend and I said that to my crew chief, and what the issues were. After that you need to get on and do the job.

“The lap times were quite surprising at the start and my pace too. The front and rear were moving a lot but the feedback from the bike was fantastic, so I have to thank Marcel and Danilo and all the mechanics for that. In race two it was even more difficult, I had to stay focused but at the end the control of the second race was probably a bit more relaxed than in race one.”

After 21 fast and furious laps, Sykes won the opening race after starting from pole position, courtesy of a record breaking lap Saturday. Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Melandri took the remaining podium positions by finishing second and third, respectively.

From the start however it was Toni Elias (Red Devils Roma Aprilia) that took the holeshot before reigning champion, Sykes, forced his way to the lead towards the end of the opening lap. Both factory Aprilia riders made small mistakes before regrouping allowing Loris Baz through to give chase to his Kawasaki teammate. Elias overshot at the start of lap three into turn one whilst the battle at the front was intensifying.

As the race progressed the battle at the front was fast becoming a two rider affair with the fight for the final podium place now involving both Ducati riders as well as the two factory Aprilia machines, Elias and the Pata Honda of Jonathan Rea.

As the race entered the final third Sykes was pulling away from Baz by two tenths of second leaving the Frenchman a lonely second. The final podium fight was now between Melandri and Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team) with Melandri eventually grabbing 3rd at the flag. Davies, Guintoli and Elias completed the top six.

David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team) came out on top in the EVO battle after working his way through the pack after being caught mid pack in the opening sequence of corners, eventually finishing a respectable 11th overall.

Alessandro Andreozzi (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) crashed out unhurt. Frenchman Fabien Foret (Mahi Racing Team India Kawasaki – EVO) retired on lap 10, after starting the race from the pit-lane due to a technical infringement found on his ZX-10R.

After winning the opening race of the day, Sykes was victorious again in race two putting in a commanding performance aboard his Kawasaki Racing Team machine. It was the 20th career individual race win and the third double in the season for the Brit, who is now one success short of two-time WSBK champion Max Biaggi.

Behind Sykes there was an intense, race long, three rider fight for the final places on the podium with Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) eventually grabbing second ahead of Melandri after some hard, but fair, overtakes between the pair. Guintoli had to be content with fourth.

An equally exciting scrap behind the top four saw Rea emerge fifth ahead of Elias, Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) and Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) who was eighth.

Race two was over before it had begun for Giugliano. The Italian who had finished eighth earlier in the day took the lead into turn one but was judged to have moved before the lights went out and was given a jump start penalty. He would eventually finish 9th after serving a ride through the pits for his mistake. Ducati’s other rider Davies crashed out of fifth on lap five.

In the EVO battle the accolade of being the best classified finisher went once again to David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team) despite a valiant race from Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) on his return to racing.

Christian Iddon (Team Bimota Alstare – EVO) highsided out of contention early on but was thankfully able to limp away. Fellow Brit Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) crashed out of the fight for fifth. Unlike Iddon, Haslam did remount to finish 12th.

Australia’s Bryan Staring missed points in both races, finishing 18th on both occasions in his second appearance for Grillini Kawasaki.

2014 FIM Superbike World Championship
Round seven – Misano, Italy

Race one results:
1. Tom Sykes
2. Loris Baz +5.012s
3. Marco Melandri +6.417s
4. Chaz Davies +7.783s
5. Sylvain Guintoli +16.248s
6. Toni Elias +17.399s
7. Jonathan Rea +21.162s
8. Davide Giugliano +26.393s
9. Eugene Laverty +26.842s
10. Leon Haslam +40.600s
18. Bryan Staring (AUS) +1m23.649s

Race two results:
1. Tom Sykes
2. Loris Baz +3.083s
3. Marco Melandri +3.413s
4. Sylvain Guintoli +5.092s
5. Jonathan Rea +18.975s
6. Toni Elias +19.365s
7. Eugene Laverty +20.177s
8. Alex Lowes +20.439s
9. Davide Giugliano +33.820s
10. David Salom +42.156s
18. Bryan Staring (AUS) +1m13.510s

Championship standings:
1. Tom Sykes 251
2. Sylvain Guintoli 212
3. Loris Baz 210
4. Jonathan Rea 199
5. Marco Melandri 179
6. Chaz Davies 143
7. Davide Giugliano 111
8. Toni Elias 109
9. Eugene Laverty 106
10. Leon Haslam 99
22. Glenn Allerton (AUS) 6
25. Bryan Staring (AUS) 3

Click here for detailed results