World Superbike: Vallelunga 2008 Results (Crash Video Below)

(Photo: WSBK. Click to enlarge)

Amazing! Spoiler warning if you haven't watched the race yet!

Race 1:

1 41 Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 39'25.030 (150,148 kph)
2 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 0.129
3 11 Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 0.535
4 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 5.188
5 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 6.693
6 21 Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 7.993
7 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 16.976
8 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 18.359
9 34 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 19.214
10 38 Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 19.386
11 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 21.230
12 10 Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 24.956
13 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 25.186
14 36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 31.799
15 86 Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 33.949
16 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34.050
17 94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 34.665
18 9 Walker C. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 52.420
19 88 Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1'02.555
20 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'06.475
21 122 Smrz M. (CZE) Honda CBR1000RR 1'16.985
22 50 Lynn M. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 194 Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1
RET 13 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET 111 Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08
RET 73 Zaiser C. (AUT) Yamaha YZF-R1
RET 23 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 31 Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR

In race 1 it was Bayliss looking strong early on, but not for long, as Haga swept past and dominated for the vast majority of the race. Biaggi rode flawlessly, rarely spanning more than 0.5 seconds behind Haga throughout the ordeal and finishing 2nd to the roar of the Italian crowd, with Corser chasing in third. Neukirchner came home in 4th and Bayliss slipped back to finish in 6th just behind Checa.

Race 2:

1 41 Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 39'10.265 (151,091 kph)
2 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1.507
3 11 Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 2.268
4 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 11.813
5 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 17.922
6 10 Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 18.281
7 34 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 19.368
8 38 Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 19.717
9 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 23.868
10 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 24.198
11 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 25.426
12 111 Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 28.384
13 23 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 30.436
14 194 Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 36.490
15 9 Walker C. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 42.903
16 21 Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 43.758
17 88 Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 44.993
18 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 48.469
19 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R 58.868
20 94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 1'18.547
21 122 Smrz M. (CZE) Honda CBR1000RR 1'42.272
22 50 Lynn M. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 86 Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET 13 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET 36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 73 Zaiser C. (AUT) Yamaha YZF-R1
RET 31 Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08

Race 2 was where it all boiled over. At the start, a horrific crash between Biaggi and Sofuoglu sent both flying at well over 100 miles per hour. The crash must have looked a bit more brutal than it was, and both men got up under their own power.

Here it is:



Lets sincerely hope that we have a healthy Biaggi for the rest of the season and for his big move to the new Aprilia team. Sofuoglu has had some of the worst repetitive bad luck I can remember of any rider in recent years. Wrapped up in seemingly every mishap on the WSBK calender, as well as having lost his brother to a motorcycle accident only months ago, Sofu also came in with a DNF in race 1. Good luck to him as far as picking up the pieces for a strong comeback next season.

That was not where the drama ended in race 2, however.

Early on, Bayliss once again took the lead but this time stayed glued to the front, and we can only assume changed something drastic about his setup. Some of the closest side-by-side racing of the year took place between Bayliss and Haga for the lead, reminiscent of Rossi and Stoner at the Laguna Seca MotoGP race.

How reminiscent? A scary-aggressive underdog Yamaha slipping past the rider on pole position with elbows touching, trading the lead back and forth throughout the race with spectators on their feet, until the Ducati loses it in a heart-pounding chase and goes off of the track. Only unlike Stoner's run off the track, Bayliss crashed on the very final lap and could not recover on the podium, ultimately finishing in a disappointing 16th.

Had Bayliss dominated the weekend, he could have decided the championship in his favor with multiple races remaining. Fabrizio piloted his Ducati 1098 F08 to a strong second after passing Corser late in the race, and then passing his ill-fated yet championship-bound teammate, Troy Bayliss.

Superbike Season Points:

1. Bayliss (Ducati) 369 punti; 2. Corser (Yamaha) 290; 3. Haga (Yamaha) 280; 4. Neukirchner (Suzuki) 280; 5. Checa (Honda) 262; 6. Biaggi (Ducati) 212; 7. Nieto (Suzuki) 206; 8. Fabrizio (Ducati) 201; 9. Kiyonari (Honda) 193; 10. Xaus (Ducati) 160; etc. Manufacturers - 1. Ducati 479; 2. Yamaha 416; 3. Honda 357; 4. Suzuki 355; 5. Kawasaki 77.

Supersport:

1 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 36'48.656 (147,38 kph)
2 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R6 2.971
3 50 Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF-R6 6.461
4 26 Lascorz J. (ESP) Honda CBR600RR 7.135
5 77 Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 10.945
6 127 Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR 14.412
7 69 Nannelli G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 14.557
8 83 Van Keymeulen D. (BEL) Suzuki GSX-R600 19.286
9 8 Aitchison M. (AUS) Triumph 675 23.854
10 41 Hayes J. (USA) Honda CBR600RR 31.193
11 47 Clementi I. (ITA) Triumph 675 31.327
12 25 Brookes J. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 39.771
13 17 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 40.957
14 123 Toti T. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R600 41.196
15 105 Vizziello G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 41.337
16 11 Holland R. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 43.421
17 55 Roccoli M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R6 44.790
18 21 Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 45.564
19 44 Salom D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R6 54.098
20 126 Martin C. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-6R 58.063
21 81 Gowland G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1'01.773
22 7 Vostárek P. (CZE) Honda CBR600RR 1'16.595
23 10 Perret D. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1'16.917
24 124 Crowe J. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R6 1'17.279
25 34 Nemeth B. (HUN) Honda CBR600RR 1'17.539
26 117 Sacchetti D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'28.143
27 42 Cudlin A. (AUS) Triumph 675 1'29.485
RET 88 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR
RET 30 Günther J. (GER) Honda CBR600RR
RET 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR
RET 35 Barone G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR
RET 45 Zappa A. (ITA) Triumph 675
RET 199 Dell'Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR
RET 4 Alfonsi L. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR

Supersport Season Points:

1. Pitt (Honda) 169; 2. Rea (Honda) 158; 3. Brookes (Honda) 141; 4. Parkes (Yamaha) 139; 5. Lascorz (Honda) 105; 6. Jones (Honda) 100; 7. Foret (Yamaha) 97; 8. Veneman (Suzuki) 72; etc.