Sykes takes wet win for Kawasaki
Sunday, 4 September 2011 14:34 GMT
Sykes takes wet win for Kawasaki
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki racing Team Superbike) secured Kawasaki's first win since 2006, and his own first ever WSBK race victory, when he headed up a shortened 13-lap race at the Nürburgring. Noriyuki Haga (Pata Aprilia) had led for virtually the whole race, which was held in wet conditions that ranged from merely wet to completely soaking. When he fell Sykes took the led and when the rains re-doubled in intensity race direction called the contest, with Sykes ahead of Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati) and Sylvain's team-mate Jakub Smrz.
Fourth was Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) who despite a high-speed crash remounted to score good points ahead of fifth placed Eugene Laverty and his Yamaha World Superbike team-mate Marco Melandri.
Championship leader Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) was eighth. In the championship, Checa now has 376 points to Melandri's 302 and Max Biaggi's unchanged 281.
