DOUBLE DELIGHT FOR HASLAM
Leon Haslam took the first double win of his career at Donington
Park today, in round 12 of the Bennetts British Superbike
Championship. Gregorio Lavilla finished a difficult weekend
with a well deserved 4th and 5th place.
In an exciting first race Haslam was battling for podium
places from the outset. Following a knock from Jonathan Rea,
which pushed him into 3rd, he fought back to take the lead
on lap 15. He then held off the challenge from the Stobart
Honda’s to take the chequered flag. In a less dramatic
race two he moved from 5th to 2nd and was chasing Kiyonari’s
lead when a mistake by the HM Plant Honda put Leon in front.
He pushed hard for the remaining 7 laps to take the first
double win of his career.
Leon was delighted with his performance saying,
“It’s been a good weekend! I need to say a big
thank you to Airwaves, Dunlop and GSE for all their support
and hard work, we have not been out of the top 3 all weekend
and it is great to get a result like this for them. It was
a challenging first race with a bit of pushing and shoving
but it worked out well for me and I was pleased to have got
that win under my belt. I went out feeling confident for race
two and a few things worked in my favour. It is a fantastic
feeling to get my first double here in front of the fans on
my home territory, I’m over the moon! It’s about
winning races now; I have got 3 wins from the last 4 races
so I will take that confidence with me to Brands Hatch”.
Greg commented after the race; “I
am disappointed with my results but it has been a good day
for the team and for Leon so I am pleased about that. I had
some problems after my crash yesterday which cost me set up
time and a few places on the grid. I did not get enough laps
in yesterday on race rubber so I did not feel totally prepared
for the race and I was not able to get the best out of myself
or my bike. It is disappointing as I have won a lot here in
the past but we are going to Brands Hatch next and I enjoy
racing there so hopefully I can end the season on a high.”
Airwaves Ducati will aim to repeat Leon’s double win
success in the season finale at Brands Hatch on October 14th.
Race One Result
1) Leon Haslam – Airwaves Ducati
2) Tom Sykes – Stobart Vent Axia
3) Shane Byrne – Stobart Vent Axia
4) Gregorio Lavilla – Airwaves Ducati
5) Jonathan Rea – HM Plant Honda
Race Two Result
1) Leon Haslam – Airwaves Ducati
2) Tom Sykes – Stobart Vent Axia
3) Ryuichi Kiyonari – HM Plant Honda
4) Chris Walker – Rizla Suzuki
5) Gregorio Lavilla – Airwaves Ducati
Championship Standings
1) Ryuichi Kiyonari - 404
2) Jonathan Rea - 367
3) Leon Haslam - 363
4) Gregorio Lavilla - 318
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