World Superbike Championship
The Misano Circuit in San Marino was the site for Round 7 of the 2012 World Superbike Championship series. The weekend provided mixed results for the Bel-Ray backed Team Althea Ducati.
Both Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano found their way to the podium in the first race of the day with Checa finishing second and Giugliano finishing third. The second race of the day was not as good for the team, as both riders suffered crashes and were forced to retire from the event.
Carlos Checa had this to say about the day's events.“Max was strong today, well done to him and to Davide, who rode a fantastic race! Then what can I say about race 2? It seems like this season we are under fire from all sides. Marco (Melandri) pushed me out through the corner, which is strange as he’s normally more careful, but anyway, that’s how it went. It’s a real pity, as I could have made another good race and taken important points.”
Giugliano was very happy with his first race results, but was noticeably disappointed with his second race. “I’m really happy with how race 1 went. We’re gaining experience race after race and I’m trying to put everything that the team and Ducati has given me to good use. I knew that the last phase of the race would be more difficult and I was right; I started to have grip issues and got a little nervous when I saw Carlos and Max right behind me! I’m really happy with the result, and the fact that it comes here at Misano. On the other hand, I’m really sorry about what happened in the second race. I was lapping very fast and doing all I could to stick with the leading group. Perhaps I pushed a little too hard and it was game over. I apologize to my team, that has worked so hard for me this weekend, to the fans and I’m also sorry for how Carlos’ race came to an end.”
At the halfway point of the series, Checa is in fifth place in the standings while Giugliano is in ninth. The series takes a short break before returning to action in Spain on July 1st.Teammate Sebastein is still recovering from injuries suffered over the past couple of years but has shown improvements each race event. An 8th place in moto 1 was backed up with a 13th in the second moto for 11th overall. Sebastein was optimistic when he spoke following the race. “I posted some fast laps on Saturday, and today was not so bad, but I’m still not physically strong enough to keep the pace for two motos. After an eighth position in the first race, I was fifth for fifteen laps in the second one, but in the last ten minutes, I nearly crashed twice and had to slacken my pace.”
MX2
The Bel-Ray backed Floride Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit team of Tommy Searle and Joel Roelants came to Agueda, Portugal for round 7 of the FIM World MX2 Championship Series.
Searle continued his top results again this weekend with 3-1 moto scores for second overall. He remains second place in the series standing following Sunday’s event.
Teammate Roelants race was not as good as he struggled in the mud during the first moto to a 9th place finish, while a crash at the start of the second moto forced him to charge back through the pack to salvage championship points. Roelants spoke following Sunday’s race. “I still have some troubles with my vision after the crash in Italy last month, and in the first moto, I took all the tear-off from my goggles too quickly. In the second race, somebody hit my back wheel and I couldn’t turn at the first corner; I collided with some other riders, and lost a lot of time. I got back to seventeenth, but I’m not happy with these results.” Roelants is currently 4th in the championship points standings.
The series continues in Bastogne, Belgium on Sunday.
250 Class
Bel-Ray backed Team Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki riders suffered a difficult day in Pennsylvania with mixed results. Leading the team was Jason Anderson with 13-6 moto finishes for 8th overall, followed by Hunter Hewitt with 30-16 moto finishes for 18th overall and Blake Wharton with 16-38 moto finishes for 19th overall.
Elite
Elite racer Lowell Spangler raced his first national of the season this weekend in Pennsylvania. The Reed and Reese Racing KTM rider finished 20-24 for 24th overall, while fellow Elite racer Steve Roman was 39-40 for 40th overall. Both riders competed in the in the 250 class.The series continues this upcoming weekend in Maryland for the Budd’s Creek National.
Follow Bel-Ray racers in action all season long on www.belray.com and www.belrayracing.com.
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