World Superbike News

Haga Takes The Double At The Nurburgring

Joy Ryder - Sunday 15.06.08, 20:08pm

Noriyuki Haga won both races today in the World Superbike Championship at the Nurburgring, unbelivable for a rider who is not fully fit after recently having surgery on his broken right collarbone.

Haga won race 1 on the Honda followed by Troy Bayliss on the Ducati after swapping the lead a couple of times until Bayliss went wide and Haga increased the gap.

In third place was Max Neukirchner in front of his home crowd on the Suzuki ahead of Troy Corser for the Yamaha team.

The Honda rider, Carlos Checa finished in fifth place followed by Ruben Xaus on the Ducati and Michel Fabrizio.

Here are the results;

1 – Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Yamaha 39:19.427

2 – Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati +2.025

3 – Max Neukirchner (GER) Suzuki +2.792

4 – Troy Corser (AUS) Yamaha +5.458

5 – Carlos Checa (ESP) Honda +10.225

6 – Ruben Xaus (ESP) Ducati +10.462

7 – Michele Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati +17.018

8 – Fonsi Nieto (ESP) Suzuki +20.520

9 – Makoto Tamada (JPN) Kawasaki +21.162

10 – Karl Muggeridge (AUS) Honda +22.650

11 – Jakub Smrz (CZE) Ducati +22.845

12 – Ryuichi Kiyonari (JPN) Honda +25.555

13 – Max Biaggi (ITA) Ducati +25.879

14 – Regis Laconi (FRA) Kawasaki +26.288

15 – Sebastien Gimbert (FRA) Yamaha +32.824

The second race was red flagged with only five laps to go, when Haga put his hand up as soon as Troy Corser passed him and the rain began to fall. Haga was awarded the race result as in the rules, if the race is stopped then the winner is whoever was leading on the previous lap.

Haga and Corser were having their own battle for most of the race, swapping the lead, you wouldn’t have thought they were team-mates.

Max Neukirchner took third place again ahead of Troy Bayliss, Carlos Checa and Michel Fabrizio.

Here are the results;

1 – Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Yamaha 27:26.594

2 – Troy Corser (AUS) Yamaha +0.150

3 – Max Neukirchner (GER) Suzuki +5.316

4 – Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati +7.651

5 – Carlos Checa (ESP) Honda +7.951

6 – Michele Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati +9.027

7 – Max Biaggi (ITA) Ducati +9.420

8 – Ruben Xaus (ESP) Ducati +9.916

9 – Fonsi Nieto (ESP) Suzuki +12.862