Superbikes Round 7 - Silverstone

On a day where survival was the No. 1 priority for most competitors - some didn't make it past the warm-up lap - Bayliss (Xerox Ducati) won Superpole and slithered to his third win of the year. All practice sessions and Superpole were run in the dry, so when the heavens opened on race day, there was a scant 20 minute warm up session for all teams to work out their wet weather set-up.

Race 1
Bayliss lead the field away, with Yamaha Italia team mates, Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga, and James Toseland (Ten Kate Honda) close behind. Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda) crashed on the opening lap, almost taking team mate, Josh Brookes with him. Championship leader, Toseland, dumped his bike on lap three. With damaged handlebars and a holed radiator, Toseland remounted (in second-last place) and nursed his crippled CBR 1000RR home, fighting his way up to eighth place and picking up vital points in the process.

Corser held the lead from lap 4, before Bayliss snatched it back on lap 10. Haga then made his move on Corser to take the runner-up slot on lap 19. Almost a full minute further back, Roberto Rolfo (Ten Kate Honda) and Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Kawasaki) fought for fourth place. Josh Brookes retired on lap 14 after crashing on the previous lap. Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki) almost joined him in the garage after a near highside so violent he snapped his footpeg off when he landed back on the bike.

Silverstone - Race 1
1. T. Bayliss, 2. N. Haga, 3. T. Corser, 4. R. Rolfo, 5. R. Laconi, 6. M. Biaggi, 7. L. Lanzi, 8. J. Toseland, 9. R. Xaus, 10. M. Neukirchner.

Race 2
With standing water at several points on the track, and no sign of the rain easing despite a half-hour delay, the second race of the day was abandoned.

"The race went really well today," declared Bayliss after the event. "It's a shame about the second one; it looked as if it was easing off a bit, but the track had a lot of water in some of the corners - mud and everything. The first part particularly had a lot of water on it, and when you arrive at that chicane, it's in fifth gear and you're not in control when you arrive there aquaplaning. That's just silliness!"

Championship Points - after 7 rounds.
1. Toseland - 237, 2. Haga - 214, 3. Biaggi - 201, 4. Bayliss - 189, 5. Corser - 151, 6. Lanzi - 116, 7. Xaus - 113, 8. Rolfo - 90, 9. Neukirchner - 87, 10. Laconi - 62.


World Supersport
A wet race was always going to favour an acknowledged rain master like Anthony West, and the Aussie didn't disappoint, winning in only his second start for the Yamaha Germany squad. The fact that West started from 16th on the grid made the win all the more impressive.

West was on the tail of team mate and race leader, Broc Parkes, by lap 5, making his lunge for the lead two laps later. From there, West increased his lead every lap. Parkes' crash on lap 14 allowed Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda) and Massimo Roccoli (Lorenzini Yamaha) to fight for the minor placings. Roccoli's crash on lap 22 brought out the red flag six laps early, as the fallen Italian's bike was blocking the racing line.

Polesitter, Sebastien Charpentier (Ten Kate Honda), and championship leader, Kenan Sofuoglu (Ten Kate Honda), were among thirteen riders to crash or retire in the treacherous conditions.

"I went hard for the first few laps and I had some big moments which were scary. I had quite a few throughout the race actually so I am glad that the race was red-flagged - it was too cold to keep going. I was out there long enough!", West joked.

Silverstone - Race
1. A. West, 2. R. Harms, 3. K. Fujiwara, 4. F. Foret, 5. G. Vizziello, 6. M. Lagrive, 7. J. Fores, 8. L, Alfonsi.

Championship Points - after 7 rounds.
1. Sofuoglu - 145, 2. Foret - 100, 3. Fujiwara - 69, 4. Harms - 59, 5. Veneman - 47, 6. Nannelli - 43, 7. West - 41, 8. Pitt - 40.