Biaggi was fined €3000 for the assault and it was Melandri who had the last laugh in the Donington Park race although it was British riders Leon Haslam and Leon Camier that made the front running during the early stages of the British round.

Haslam looked comfortable leading the race for six laps, but could do nothing to compete with the pace of Jakub Smrz who breezed into the lead opening up a two and a half second lead.

Melandri then broke free from the chasing pack to put in some astounding lap times to catch and pass Haslam and mount his assault on Smrz, who he would pass with five laps to go, easily holding on for his first victory in World Superbike.

As Haslam appeared to struggle with the BMW, 2011 round one double race winner Carlos Checa eased his way past and into third in the final lap.

By that time Camier was struggling with fitness and the handling of his bike and ended the race in eigth position, while fellow Brit Tom Sykes crashed out in the late stages while riding a comfortable pace in fourth place.

World Superbike results – Round Two Donington Park – Race One

1. Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 34′33.189
2. Jakub Smrz (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 34′35.644
3. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 34′39.028
4. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 34′39.365
5. Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 34′42.228
6. Noriyuki Haga (PATA Racing Team Aprilia) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′42.404
7. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′43.149
8. Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′48.049
9. Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 34′48.066
10. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34′49.371
11. Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 34′59.009
12. Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 35′01.567
13. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team) BMW S1000 RR 35′05.058
14. Roberto Rolfo (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 35′13.204
15. Mark Aitchison (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 35′33.317
RT. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike) Kawasaki ZX-10R 25′35.167
RT. Michel Fabrizio (Team Suzuki Alstare) Suzuki GSX-R1000 24′17.861
RT. Maxime Berger (Supersonic Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 7′43.215
RT. Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 4′37.934

In Race Two, it was Haslam who again got off to a flier, but it was the Spaniard Carlos Checa, looking as smooth as you like on the Althea Ducati who soon passed and led the rest of the race to earn his third victory out of four races and stretch out a lead on his rivals for the 2011 crown.

Again Melandri and Camier were strong throughout the race, gradually picking up pace and passing Haslam on lap seven.  A mistake by Haslam on lap eight cost him some time and left Camier and Melandri to put some distance between themselves and last years WSB runner up.

There was a decent fight between Camier and Melandri as they fought for second place, the Brit tiring towards the end of the race and finishing in third, three seconds behind the Italian with Checa three seconds further ahead for the win.

Max Biaggi was disqualified from the second race following a jump start on the start line, after not responding to his penalty he was black flagged on lap nine.

World Superbike results – Round Two – Donington Park – Race Two

1. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 34′21.537
2. Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 34′24.934
3. Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′27.439
4. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 34′35.379
5. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34′35.790
6. Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 34′40.950
7. Michel Fabrizio (Team Suzuki Alstare) Suzuki GSX-R1000 34′41.815
8. Jakub Smrz (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 34′42.697
9. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team) BMW S1000 RR 34′45.835
10. Ruben Xaus (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 34′46.444
11. Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 34′53.977
12. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34′54.216
13. Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 34′55.607
14. Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 34′57.955
15. Roberto Rolfo (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 35′05.574
16. Mark Aitchison (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 35′13.949
17. Noriyuki Haga (PATA Racing Team Aprilia) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 35′18.171
RT. Maxime Berger (Supersonic Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 1′41.588
EX. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 13′50.189

After scoring maximum points from his dominant performance at Phillip Island in Australia in round one, Carlos Checa will be champing at the bit to get his Althea Ducati back on the track, but how will the Ducati fare on the Donington circuit?

It is fair to say that Checa was in similar form at the same circuit on the opening day of last season although he only managed to win one of the two races on that occasion, but he failed to show anything like that performance throughout the rest of the season.

The rest of the 2011 World Superbike pack led by current World Champion Max Biaggi will be keen to improve on their own points tally, so expect another exciting showdown at Donington Park.

As always there will be TV coverage from British Eurosport throughout the weekend and at this British GP weekend the commentary team will be joined by former champions and fan favourites Carl Fogarty and Neil Hodgson, who have managed five World Superbike titles between them.

It is a welcome return to Donington Park, the scene of the first WSB race 23 years ago, having missed out on last years calendar while improvements were being made to the track.

The last time the championship visited Donington, in 2009, Ben Spies dominated proceedings, winning both races. This time around British fans will be hoping it is one of the five British and Irish riders who triumphs on the newly refurbished circuit. With James Toseland (BMW Motorrad Italia) out with a wrist injury, Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport), Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda), Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia), Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing) will all contest the round.

Live TV coverage starts on British Eurosport 2 at 1445 on Saturday, with commentators Jack Burnicle and James Whitham on-site at Donington to catch up with riders and teams before Superpole qualifying gets underway.

On Sunday from 1115 both Superbike races and the Supersport race will be LIVE on British Eurosport 2, while coverage will also be available in high definition on Eurosport HD. All the action will be LIVE online via Eurosport Player.

TV times for Donington:

Saturday 26 March

1445-1610 LIVE Superpole on British Eurosport 2

Sunday 27 March

1115-1630 LIVE on British Eurosport 2

1130-1200 Superbike Corner (interviews & latest news) on Eurosport HD

1200-1300 LIVE Superbike race one on Eurosport HD

1300-1415 LIVE Supersport race on Eurosport HD

1700-1745 Superbike race two on Eurosport HD

Leon Camier - BSB Airwaves Yamaha 2009

The 2009 British Superbike champion Leon Camier has been confirmed as the rider to race alongside Max Biaggi for the Aprilia team in the World Superbike series for the 2010 season.

Camier dominated the 2009 season on the Airwaves Yamaha, taking the victory on 19 out of the 26 races and with 22 podium finishes.

The 23-year-old made his debut in the World Superbike series as a wild-card at Donington before replacing the injured rider Shinya Nakano for Aprilia at the Portimao finale where he finished the day with an impressive sixth place in race one and seventh in race two.

Camier will now be riding for the team full-time alongside veteran rider Max Biaggi who finished the 2009 season in fourth place overall.

February 28                                 Australia                                                               Phillip Island

March 28                                       Portugal                                                               Portimão

April 11                                             Spain                                                                   Valencia (*)

April 25                                          Netherlands                                                           Assen

May 9                                               Italy                                                                          Monza

May 16                                            South Africa                                                          Kyalami

May 31                                            United States                                                        Salt Lake City

June 27                                          San Marino                                                            Misano

July 11                                             Czech Repub.                                                        Brno

August 1                                         Great Britain                                                         Donington Park

September 5                                Germany                                                                  Nürburgring

September 26                              Italy                                                                            Imola (*)/(**)

October 3                                        France                                                                       Magny Cours

(*) = To be confirmed

(**) = Subject to homologation

Sylvain Guintoli - BSB Worx Crescent Suzuki 2009

The Suzuki Alstare team have confirmed that Sylvain Guintoli will be making an early World Superbike debut at the seasons finale at Portimao alongside Leon Haslam.

Guintoli has spent the season riding for the British Superbike team Worx Crescent Suzuki as their sole rider until he was injured in the accident with Josh Brookes at the Donington Park round.  The French rider suffered a broken tibia and fibia of the right leg.

The HM Plant Honda rider collided with Guintoli at the Melbourne hairpin on the sighting lap in the run-up to the opening race, claiming a problem with his brakes.  After an investigation into the incident, no mechanical problem was found and Brookes received a two race ban.

Although not back to full fitness after only having the screw removed from the plate in his leg last week, Guintoli feels that his recovery is going well and is looking forward to getting back on-board a superbike.

The American began his career in the late 70’s before reaching the top of the American Road Racing  series in the early 80’s.  He decided to retire from the sport in the Summer of 1982 to concentrate on business commitments.

In 1986, he was talked into coming out of retirement and rode for Suzuki team in the GSXR National Cup series where by the end of the season he had racked-up 45 wins out of 51 races.  He joined the Kosar Racing Team for 1987 and competed in the AMA Superbike championship where he finished in fourth place overall, riding against the likes of Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz.

The American got his big break in 1988 when he was signed by the team Yoshimura R&D of America, allowing him also to ride in it’s parent company Yoshimura of Japan in 1989, seeing him win both of the championships.

Doug then went onto the Ducati team, allowing him to race in not only the World Superbike Championship but also the AMA Championship.  He not only won the World Superbike Championship by 150 points but also made history by winning a record 17 victories during the season and claimed the title of AMA Pro Twins Championship.

Taking the crown for the second year running in the WSB Championship of 1992, he finished third in the AMA Superbike series.

In 1993, Doug rode exclusively for the Ducati Italy squad in the AMA Superbike series and claimed the title with two rounds still to run.

In 1994, Doug was given the chance to ride for the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) on their new RC45 Superbike, finishing fourth in the championship. He only rode a handful of races for the team in the following year.

After leaving the Honda, Doug  joined the Suzuki Endurance Racing team riding a 750cc and also riding a 1100cc in the AMA Superteams series for Team Ebsco Suzuki.   He won the World Endurance Championship of 1997 alongside his team-mate Peter Goddard on the GSXR 750cc.  He won the World Endurance Championship again in 1998 but this time riding for the Honda Racing team on the RC45.

Doug, now 49,  has raced in various events throughout the years and is now offering his services to help others as an instructor at track days and day events in the United States.

Here’s a little clip of Doug winning the 1991 first race at Donington Park;

Noriyuki Haga - Ducati Xerox Team 2009

The next round of the World Superbike Championship takes place at Brno in the Czech Republic on the 26th July, and some of the top riders are set to return after suffering injuries in earlier rounds.

The Xerox Ducati ride Noiryuki Haga, is expected to be on the starting grid after his crash in race 2 at the Donington circuit.  He suffered a fracture to his right arm and cracks to his left scapula and spent the next three days in hospital before returning to his home in Milan.

Haga is leading the Championship ahead of Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies, but by a mere 14 points and is eager to get back on his bike and battle with the American.

Suzuki Alstare rider Max Neukirchner, and Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team rider Makoto Tamada were both injured during the same accident at Monza in April, but are now ready to return to work at Brno.

Neukirchner suffered a broken right femur, a double fracture to the fibula and dislocated his foot.  He had to endure a six-hour operation to have a pin inserted into his right thigh while the fibula was left to heal naturally.  The operation was a success and the German rider eventually returned to his home in the back of a camper-van, propped-up by cushions as he was advised not to fly.

Makoto Tamada received a broken wrist in the carnage at the first corner at Monza, after hitting the back of the Brendan Roberts Guandalini Ducati. After further examinations in Japan, Tamada was also found to have fractures in two of his fingers and had to have a wire inserted to stabilise the fractures.  The Japanese rider is now fully recovered from his injuries and is also eager to get back on the grid.

Ben Spies - Donington Park

The Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies, won both races in round nine of the World Superbike Championship at Donington Park on Sunday.

Race 1

Spies dominated the qualifying session on Saturday and continued by winning the race on Sunday shadowed by the Aprilia Racing rider Max Biaggi.

On the final lap of the race it looked like all the hard work from Biaggi had been wasted as his machine came almost to a halt, just a couple of hundred yards from the chequered flag.  However, after a bit of weaving by the Italian he picked up speed and shot across the line to take his place on the podium, it was later confirmed that he had some sort of fuel problem.

Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati Xerox bike took the final step of the podium followed in fourth place by Leon Haslam on the Stiggy Motorsport Honda.

Shane Byrne was right on the tail of Haslam for the Sterilgarda Ducati team ahead of the second Aprilia Racing bike ridden by Shinya Nakano in sixth.

Jonathan Rea on the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda took seventh followed by John Hopkins on the second Stiggy Honda, Jakub Smrz on the Guandalini Racing bike was in ninth and Ryuichi Kiyonari on the Ten Kate Honda Racing bike to complete the top ten riders.

Here are the results;

1  19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 34′57.230 (158,831 kph)
2   3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 7.156
3  41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 10.968
4  91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 18.843
5  67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 19.125
6  56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 21.286
7  65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 23.644
8 121 Hopkins J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 32.849
9  96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 32.904
10   9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 33.192
11   7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 34.535
12  84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 35.093
13  22 Camier L. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 35.441
14  57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 39.034
15 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 41.067
16  14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 46.452
17  71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 47.924
18  23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 48.246
19  99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 50.932
20 117 Andrews S. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 55.032
21   2 Hacking J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 55.216
22  53 Polita A. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′02.758
23  25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′02.977
24  94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R1 1′12.255
25  79 Young B. (USA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′12.531
RET  11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR
RET  27 Ellison J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1
RET  88 Resch R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9
RET  66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1
RET  36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Ducati 1098R
RET  77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR

Race 2

The second race was again dominated by the American rider Ben Spies, who started the race as he meant to go on, creating a gap from the off, and claiming his tenth win of the 2009 season.

Noriyuki Haga crashed out from second place on lap 5 of the race while trying to bridge the gap between himself and Spies.  The Ducati rider was taken to a Derby hospital and was treated for a fracture to the ulna in his right arm.  Haga today underwent surgery to insert a plate and screws to the ulna which has been deemed a success, the multiple fractures discovered to his left shoulder will heal on their own and did not need intervention.  The team believe it would still be possible for Haga to ride at the next round at Brno but he will not take part in the test due at Imola.

British rider Leon Haslam, took the Stiggy bike across the line to claim the second step of the podium, after battling for the position with Michel Fabrizio on the Ducati Xerox and Shane Byrne on the Sterilgarda machine.  Haslam finally made his move stick with three laps of the race remaining and said that he had been spurred on by the British fans at his home track.

Fabrizio finished in third ahead of Byrne in fourth after suffering technical problems in race one.  The Italian had broken the lap record during qualifying but a gear problem saw him sliding backwards to finally finish in twelfth position, but he was back on the podium in the second race after jumping on his spare bike.

Neither of the Aprilia Racing riders finished the second race with Biaggi crashing out on lap 4 at the Melbourne hairpin.  The Italian got back on his machine only to make contact again with another rider and later x-rays showed he had received a hairline fracture to his right foot.  Fortunately, with the three week break now before Brno, Biaggi is expected to be fit to ride in the next round.

Shinya Nakano, on the second Aprilia, amazingly walked away without injury when he crashed at high speed just after the opening lap of race two.

John Hopkins was not on the grid for the second race despite finishing the first race in eighth place from thirteenth in qualifying.  Hopkins apologised to his fans and supporters for not taking part but was said to be suffering so much pain from the first race that he could not carry on.

Simon Andrews, riding as a wild-card, achieved his aim of a top ten finish in race two for the Kawasaki team after qualifying in twenty-sixth position.

Leon Camier was another wild-card rider this weekend, claiming sixth in race two after starting in twenty-second place.  The Airwaves Yamaha rider demolished his number one bike during provisional qualifying and on the spare could only manage seventeenth position.  In both races he made a terrible start but fought his way back to the top in race two.  His team-mate James Ellison, crashed out in the first race but finished an impressive eighth in race two.

Here are the results;

1 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 35′14.788 (157,512 kph)
2 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 6.622
3 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 6.816
4 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 7.349
5 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 8.145
6 22 Camier L. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 13.463
7 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 15.751
8 27 Ellison J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 16.837
9 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 22.891
10 117 Andrews S. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 30.347
11 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 30.622
12 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 31.562
13 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 32.148
14 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 32.607
15 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 32.806
16 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 34.269
17 79 Young B. (USA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 40.644
18 36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 40.956
19 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 41.302
20 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 42.856
21 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 47.769
RET 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 88 Resch R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9
RET 53 Polita A. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9
RET 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R1
RET 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R
RET 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R
RET 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory
RET 2 Hacking J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R

Max Neukirchner - Assen 2009

Blake Young, 21, will be riding the Suzuki Alstare machine this weekend at Donington Park replacing injured rider Max Neukirchner for this World Superbike Championship round.

Young is currently negotiating a ride with American Suzuki for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Team in the American Superbike series and had gone along to the Misano World Superbike race with his mentor, former World Champion Kevin Schwantz when he was approached by the team.

Fonsi Nieto has replaced Neukirchner at the last three round of the championship but it will be Young who will be on the grid at Donington after getting approval from American Suzuki.

Neukirchner is not expected to return until the Brno round on the 24-26 July as he recuperates from his horrendous injuries suffered at Monza.  He is currently undergoing several physiotherapy treatments, focusing on the upper body and his left leg while his right leg is given time to heal fully.

Brendan Roberts - Guandalini Racing 2009

Gregorio Lavilla will be continuing his ride with the Guandalini Ducati team after it was decided that Brendan Roberts is not back to 100% fitness and will sit out the next two rounds.

The Australian suffered injuries at the Monza circuit when he was hit from behind on the first corner of the first lap, which then pushed his bike into the back of  Max Neukirchner wiping him out with a broken leg.

Roberts main problem is a torn quad muscle which is refusing to heal, leaving the rider struggling to walk.   He has been told that if the injury does not heal itself soon he may have to undergo surgery to correct the problem.

Lavilla will once again be on the grid at Misano and Donington before the team decide, in July, if Roberts is fit to return to work.