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Superb podium keeps Leon Haslam on top of the Superbike
after world championship race in Monza, Italy
Monza, Italy:
DARK DOG rider Leon Haslam continues his superb lead overall in this year's Superbike World Championship after a hard-fought race in Monza, Italy where he recorded a superb podium in the second race!
The race weekend started with the Friday Qualifying under mixed weather conditions with torrential rain showers, but a later dry line round the whole of the 5.777 kilometre circuit.
DARK DOG rider Leon Haslam did well during this day and found his rhythm by posting the fifth quickest time. His team mate Sylvain Guintoli was for the first time ever riding on the historic track of Monza and his first job was to learn the track.
The following day, both riders of Team Suzuki Alstare ended the Superpole with mixed feelings: Leon was disappointed having missed the qualification for the front row of the grid of the Sunday races and Sylvain struggled to find a good rhythm and ended with the 14th quickest time in Superpole.
But Leon Haslam got back to his form and finished the first Sunday race with a fourth place and fought tooth and nail to take a superb podium in race two. This means the seventh podium of the season for him and the maintenance of the championship lead!
Leon's team mate Sylvain Guintoli also did a good job by ending both races under the TOP 10: a tenth position in race one, followed by a fantastic seventh place in race two!
DARK DOG is happy to see Leon Haslam on the top of the Superbike World Championship standing since its debut race in Phillip Island and is ready to battle for another win together with Team Suzuki Alstare during the upcoming race next weekend in South Africa!
Leon Haslam
Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 2nd
"Today was a hard day and I'm happy to leave Monza still leading the title race. Max was strong here and I knew it was going to be a tough pair of races. The podium in race two was very hard work, but I didn't want to miss out on a podium today and kept battling away. I had a really big 'moment' in race two and was way out of the saddle twice in the space of a fraction of a second. Somehow I stayed on the bike, but it was a very close thing! After Cal crashed, Troy kept me on my toes, but Max was too far in front for me to catch so I just made sure the runner-up spot. I did something to my wrist when I had my 'moment' and it felt pretty sore, but I managed to carry on to the end. In race one, I lost contact with the leaders and then had a bit of a grip problem for the last four or five laps and couldn't get out of the corners as fast as I wanted. We made some little suspension changes (just a few clicks here and there) for race two and the bike was definitely better to ride."
Sylvain Guintoli
Race 1: 10th, Race 2: 7th
"Generally, the weekend has ended not so badly. I enjoyed the second race because I was involved in a really good fight with Nori Haga and Tom Sykes. I managed to pass Nori right towards the end, but then I made a very small mistake in the last turn and he got me back. Seventh is not so bad after how the weekend began, but I have learnt that I (or me and my team) have to manage practice and qualifying better and get into a good, consistent rhythm as soon as we can. Not doing that means a low grid position and this championship has so many good riders and bikes that you cannot afford to be way down the grid if you want to be a contender. I think I probably could've got fifth today if it hadn't been for a crash right in front of me on the opening lap. I had to take avoiding action and go straight on at the first chicane and lost time in the process. But I fought hard and caught up the guys ahead, before my good battle with Tom and Nori. I am happy with my performance in race two and now I want to build on that and be much better at the start of a race weekend."
Results / Race 1
1 Max Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia)
2 James Toseland (GBR-Yamaha)
3 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha)
4 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare)
5 Leon Camier (GBR-Aprilia)
6 Ruben Xaus (ESP-BMW) ...
10 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) ...
Results / Race 2
1 Max Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia)
2 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare)
3 Corser (AUS-BMW)
4 Leon Camier (GBR-Aprilia)
5 Tom Sykes (GBR-Kawasaki)
6 Noriyuki Haga (JPN-Ducati)
7 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) ...
Overall standing
1 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 181
2 Biaggi 178
3 Rea 110
4 Checa 110
5 Toseland 106
6 Haga 100 ...
9 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 70 ...
