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Campeonato Verizon Indy Car

Campeonato Verizon Indy Car Por Luis Sánchez Sebastien Bourdais fue el ganador de la primera Carrera del campeonato en la
Ahmed Elbiali Fights Jean Pascal For DREAMERS Like Himself in the U.S. Through DACA

AHMED ELBIALI FIGHTS JEAN PASCAL FOR DREAMERS LIKE HIMSELF IN THE U.S. THROUGH DACA By MIKE COPPINGER – RingTV.com
Meeke closes on Mexico win

Meeke closes on Mexico win Kris Meeke takes 30.9sec lead over Séb Ogier at Rally Guanajuato Mexico. The Briton won

Campeonato Verizon Indy Car

Mar 16, 2018

Campeonato Verizon Indy Car

Por Luis Sánchez

Sebastien Bourdais fue el ganador de la primera Carrera del campeonato en la cuidad de ST. Petersburg. Tras su espantoso accidente en Mayo del año pasado en las calificaciones para las 500 Millas de indianapolis, Bourdais demostró que todavía tiene mucho que dar a la serie Verizon. Sebastien completo las 110 vueltas con tan solo 12 segundos adelante del segundo lugar Rahal Graham. En tercer lugar quedo el piloto americano Alexander Rossi.

La carrera fue espectacular pero no sin la controversia que normalmente suele pasar en cada carrera, a 4 vueltas del final de la competencia el piloto Max Chilton y su carro tuvieron problemas en la curva 8 donde se detuvo el auto, mala suerte para el Rookie piloto Robert Wickens que habiendo calificado en la primera posición y llevando el liderazgo a escasas 4 vueltas para ganar la competencia tubo que esperar a que los oficiales de la carrera limpiaran la pista, dejando solamente dos vueltas para el final de la competencia.

Wickens fue sorprendido con la decisión para la ultima largada quedando solamente dos vueltas, ya que el auto guía de precaución no apago las luces indicando que todo estaba listo para el arranque y la bandera a cuadros. La reacción de Wickens fue hasta cierto punto tarde, ya que Rossi aprovecho la oportunidad queriendo rebasar al puntero, pero su llantas traseras se patinaron pegándole al auto de Wickens que fue lanzado en espiral perdiendo la oportunidad de coronarse campeón de St. Petersburg en 2018.

El cuatro veces campeón de la serie Champ Sevastien Bourdais aprovecho el incidente escurriéndose a la primera posición por las dos ultimas vueltas de la carrera y así ganar por segunda ves consecutiva el Firestone Grand Prix de St. Petersburg, marcando esta como su victoria numero 37.

Graham Rahal que empezó la competencia en último lugar pudo lograr terminar en la segunda posición. Rossi quedo tercero seguido de Hinchcliffe en cuarto, Hunter-Reay y Scot Dixon respectivamente. Wickens que domino la competencia por 69 vueltas en cinco oportunidades, terminando en la posición 18 al final de la carrera.

Abril es un mes con mucha actividad ya que la siguiente competencia será el Phoenix Grand Prix en Arizona el próximo 7 de Abril, donde veremos duelos interesantes entre todos los pilotos de la serie Verizon Indy Car. Después la gema del campeonato, el Toyota Grand Prix de Long Beach, en Abril 15, que la mayoría de los aficionados consideran esta carrera como el Monte Carlo de la Indy. Terminando el mes en la fecha Abril 22, con el Honda Indy Grand Prix de Alabama.

Estaremos pendientes de los acontecimientos de la serie Verizon Indycar series, para informarles los últimos acontecimientos. Stay tune!

Ahmed Elbiali Fights Jean Pascal For DREAMERS Like Himself in the U.S. Through DACA

Dec 8, 2017

AHMED ELBIALI

FIGHTS JEAN PASCAL FOR DREAMERS LIKE HIMSELF IN THE U.S. THROUGH DACA

By MIKE COPPINGER – RingTV.com

Ahmed Elbiali arrived in New York with his mother and brother when he was just four years old.

Soon, his father began working in Miami, and the family joined him there, where they settled, raising a family just like any other American couple.

Elbiali would travel back to Egypt, his native land, every year since age 11 to see relatives, but that soon became impossible.

You see, he’s a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Action) recipient, and the Trump Administration is seeking to end the program. Elbiali is one of the 800,000 or so Americans protected by DACA, children who arrived in the United States as illegal immigrants.

With DACA in limbo, Elbiali says he can’t even leave the country.

Luckily, the biggest fight of his career, a Friday meeting with former light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, takes place minutes outside Miami in Hialeah (9 p.m. ET, FS1).

“I’m living on the edge right now, but I just renewed (my DACA request) in November, I have two years,” Elbiali said during a phone interview with RingTV.com. “I’m Gucci for two years. I’m checking my iPhone every day (for DACA news). “

… It’s only going to last so long. I can maybe have a positive influence on other kids like me. There’s so many better kids than me. Tennis (players) and physicists and doctors. They’re doing good things and they’re DACA, too.

Elbiali (16-0, 13 knockouts) tried out for Egypt’s national team, but after that, the Arab Spring crisis occurred, a series of violent and non-violent demonstrations that broke out in North Africa and the Middle East on December 17, 2010.

The revolutionary wave of protests, riots, coups and civil wars stopped Elbiali from visiting home since 2011. The uprising ended in 2012, but now he can’t go back at all. Continue Reading…

Meeke closes on Mexico win

Apr 3, 2017

Meeke closes on Mexico win

Kris Meeke takes 30.9sec lead over Séb Ogier at Rally Guanajuato Mexico.

The Briton won just one of the nine speed tests, most on dirt roads in the mountains near León, but it was a decisive victory. While Meeke carried out a planned attack to perfection, Ogier spun and a deficit of just over 20sec became almost twice that.

The duo traded seconds through the opening four special stages before Meeke pounced in his Citroën C3. Ogier promised this morning it would not be an ‘all or nothing’ day, and after pirouetting at a hairpin bend, he signalled his challenge was over.

“It has been a perfect weekend so far. That was going to be the defining loop of the rally. I had to make it stick on this loop and it worked,” said Meeke, who gambled with hard compound Michelin tyres despite the threat of rain. Fortunately for him it stayed dry.

Ogier won two tests in his Ford Fiesta and ended 39.6sec clear of Thierry Neuville, who also won a stage. The misfire which slowed Neuville’s Hyundai i20 Coupe last night, along with team-mates Hayden Paddon and Dani Sordo, was traced to a blocked fuel filter and all three cars ran cleanly today.

Neuville regretted opting for soft tyres this afternoon when forecast rain failed to arrive, but with a large gap in front and behind, an error-free day kept him on course for strong points.

Ott Tänak was fourth in a Fiesta. The Estonian struggled for confidence in his car’s set-up this morning but headed a frustrated Hayden Paddon. The Kiwi punctured after hitting a rock and experimented with new settings in a bid to find his pace.

Jari-Matti Latvala overhauled Toyota Yaris team-mate Juho Hänninen for sixth in the penultimate stage. Latvala overcame morning brake problems and punctured after hitting the same rock as Paddon.

Just finishing was a victory for Hänninen. Struck down by sickness, he persevered and by the day’s end his health was improving.

Sunday’s final leg comprises two tests. After a mid-morning start, crews drive the 32.96km La Calera ahead of the 21.94km Derramadero live TV Power Stage, which offers bonus points for the fastest five drivers.

Cortesia: Red Bull Newsroom

SAPRISSA EN ZONA DE CLASIFICACIÓN

Feb 6, 2017

SAPRISSA EN ZONA DE CLASIFICACIÓN

SAPRISSA 2 ALAJUELA 1

Jornada 8, Estadio Ricardo Saprissa

En un nuevo clásico Nacional es Saprissa que se pone adelante en el marcador al minuto 3 por intermedio del delantero Daniel Colindres , pero la liga llega a la igualdad al minuto 12 con la anotación de Kenner Gutiérrez , finalizando el primer tiempo igualados en el marcador.

Ya en el complemento es Saprissa quien busca el partido y al minuto 12 Julio Cascante le da el segundo gol a el equipo morado, el triunfo y metiéndolo en zona de clasificación ,terminando el encuentro con victoria Saprissista.

Nota: David Urbina

Fotografia: Josue Rodriguez

ANAHEIM DUCKS SIGN DUSTIN TOKARSKI TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION

Jan 6, 2017

ANAHEIM DUCKS SIGN DUSTIN TOKARSKI TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION

SAN DIEGO – The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed goaltender Dustin Tokarski to a one-year contract extension through the 2017-18 NHL season. Per club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Tokarski, 27 (9/16/89), owns a 10-12-5 record with one shutout, a 2.84 goals-against average (GAA) and .904 save percentage (SV%) in 34 career NHL games with Anaheim, Montreal and Tampa Bay. The 6-0, 204-pound goaltender has also appeared in five career NHL Playoff games, including a 35-save effort in a 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Final on May 22, 2014 at the New York Rangers.

Acquired from Montreal in exchange for Max Friberg on Jan. 7, 2016, Tokarski has appeared in one game with Anaheim this season, stopping all five shots on Oct. 28 vs. Columbus. He has also posted a 9-6-1 record in 16 games this season with the San Diego Gulls, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Selected by Tampa Bay in the fifth round (122nd overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft, Tokarski has gone 138-99-5 with 18 shutouts, a 2.51 GAA and .910 SV% in 265 career AHL games with Norfolk, Hamilton, Syracuse, St. John’s and San Diego. The 6-0, 205-pound goaltender was an AHL All-Star with Hamilton in 2013-14 and helped lead Norfolk to a Calder Cup Championship in 2012 after compiling a 12-2-0 record with three shutouts, a 1.46 GAA and .944 SV% in 14 AHL playoff games. Tokarski has also won gold with Team Canada at the 2009 World Junior Championship and helped lead Spokane of the Western Hockey League (WHL) to the 2008 Memorial Cup.

Cortesia; San Diego Gulls

La capital vibró con los Xpilots

Jun 22, 2015

La capital vibró con los Xpilots

La competencia de Freestyle Motocross se presentó en la Arena Ciudad de México con el Fearless Tour

Una vez más, Xpilots By Monster Energy se presentó en la capital de México este sábado 20 de junio de 2015 en la Arena Ciudad de México con toda la adrenalina del Fearless Tour.

Con una presencia de más de 10 mil asistentes, el evento más grande de Freestyle Motocross lució un espectacular show con riders del más alto nivel de este deporte extremo.

Dos rounds, el concurso de Whip Contest, el segmento especial del Snowmobile Jump y el RZR Back Flip con Jimmy Blaze fueron el componente explosivo de este evento que puso a vibrar a los aficionados capitalinos.

Chris Meyer lució imparable y consiguió el primer lugar con 160.75 puntos, Javier Villegas se quedó con el segundo con un total de 159 puntos y el alemán Hans Ackermann, quien participó por primera vez en Xpilots By Monster Energy terminó con el tercer puesto en la competencia.

Como se sabe en el ámbito de los deportes extremos, Freestyle Motocross es un deporte de gran dificultad y peligrosidad. Dos accidentes se registraron durante la competencia con los riders Kyle Demelo y Jimmy Blaze. Kyle experimentó una aparatosa caída intentando el complicado truco Cliffhanger Backflip, lo que le llevó a caer mal y terminar en el Hospital. Sin embargo nuestro rider se encuentra estable con un par de fracturas en la costilla y clavícula. Por su parte Jimmy Blaze perdió potencia en su Snowmobile al intentar el Backflip pero libró la caída soltando la maquinaria en el momento adecuado para caer en los inflables de protección.

La siguiente fecha del Fearless Tour continuará en Tijuana, la casa de Xpilots By Monster Energy, el próximo 18 de julio de 2015 en el Estadio Caliente.

Rea celebrates his 150th WorldSBK race with another win

May 11, 2015

Sykes completes a second KRT 1-2 as Torres claims maiden podium finish in the series.

Rea celebrates his 150th WorldSBK race with another win

The second WorldSBK race of the Acerbis Italian Round went the full 19-lap distance, with the Kawasaki Racing duo claiming their second 1-2 finish of the day as Jonathan Rea once again got the better of Tom Sykes with a comfortable 4.399s lead at the line. For Rea it was the eighth win from ten starts, which also completed his third double of the year.

After a second technical fault for Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team), the final podium position went to Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) who claimed his career’s first rostrum finish as he crossed the line third ahead of Italians Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team), Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) and Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing Ducati).

Roman Ramos (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki), Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Ducati), Michel Fabrizio (Althea Racing Ducati) and Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) completed the top ten.

Sylvain Guintoli and his Pata Honda team-mate Michael van der Mark both crashed out before half distance as did Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils). A number of other retirements meant only 13 riders completed the race.

In the championship standings Jonathan Rea heads to his home round at Donington Park with a stretched points advantage after his double race win, the gap to his nearest rival Leon Haslam is 87 points.

WorldSBK Imola – Race 2
1 – Jonathan Rea Kawasaki Racing Team
2 – Tom Sykes Kawasaki Racing Team +4.399
3 – Jordi Torres Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils +26.020

Standings (5 of 13 rounds completed)
1 – Jonathan Rea Kawasaki Racing Team – 240
2 – Leon Haslam Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils – 153
3 – Tom Sykes Kawasaki Racing Team – 128

Imola ready to host the Acerbis Italian Round

May 8, 2015

Great anticipation ahead event number five of the 2015 WorldSBK season.

The fifth event of the WorldSBK season takes the series to Imola for the Acerbis Italian Round. In the Province of Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna region, the circuit named in honour of Enzo and Dino Ferrari has been on the World Superbike calendar since 2001, with the exceptions of 2007 and 2008 when the series raced at Vallelunga. The current 4.936km layout features 22 corners of which 13 are left-handers. The flowing nature of the layout, the many elevation changes and the lack of long straights make Imola one of the most demanding and technical tracks in the world.

Imola has hosted a total of 23 races to date, with only the second encounter of 2005 having been called off due to adverse conditions. Furthermore, since 2002, no less than seven events out of 11 have thrown up double victories; Colin Edwards did it first on the historic day when he beat Troy Bayliss to a second world title, whereas the latest was taken by current series leader Jonathan Rea in 2014.

Surely facts like this generate only further confidence for the Kawasaki Racing Team rider, who has already picked up two doubles since the start of 2015: Buriram and Assen. Having collected a massive 95% of the maximum championship points on offer so far this season, few would bet against the Northern Irish Kawasaki rider.

There could be a lot for the Italians to shout about this weekend. Aprilia has achieved no less than 11 podiums at the track and at least one of the marque’s bikes has always finished in the top five of every Imola race since the start of 2009. The manufacturer’s leading representative in the current standings is Leon Haslam, who is the closest challenger to Rea and took a victory in Australia, while rookie team-mate Jordi Torres is yet to finish lower than in sixth position every time he sees the chequered flag.

Perhaps the biggest stories will be the World Superbike comebacks of two famous names. Davide Giugliano finally returns, having been ruled out of action when he injured his back in a pre-season testing crash at Phillip Island. Since then, his Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team has returned to winning ways with Chaz Davies, who is third in the championship standings. Last year, Giugliano started on the front row at Imola, having finished on the podium after leading Race 1 in 2013. Elsewhere, Michel Fabrizio is also likely to boost attendance figures as he reappears on the grid, subbing for Nico Terol at the Althea Racing Team. The 30-year-old from Rome has been a regular on the grid since 2006 and will ride alongside fellow countryman Matteo Baiocco ahead of Terol’s suspected return at Donington Park. The grid’s other Italian is Ayrton Badovini, who believes his season ‘will begin’ at Imola, where in the Superstock 1000 class he won in 2010; this was his ninth victory out of ten races in what proved to be a truly dominant title-winning campaign.

Behind the championship top three of Rea, Haslam and Davies, 2013 title winner Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) is looking to get his championship fight back on track, having struggled with a major lack of rear-end traction last time out at Assen. Such struggles were not a problem for Pata Honda World Superbike Team’s Michael van der Mark, who made history by becoming the first Dutchman to clinch a World Superbike podium finish; he immediately doubled the tally by clinching another podium in Race 2. He now sits just five points in arrears of World Champion team-mate Sylvain Guintoli, while the championship top ten is completed by Barni Racing Team’s Leandro Mercado. At Voltcom Crescent Suzuki, Alex Lowes and Randy de Puniet move into their third round since switching to a Magneti Marelli electronics package. They will continue to juggle their race setup work with bike development, with the ongoing testing ban meaning the British-based team is having to use practice sessions to continue expanding its bike capabilities. Although it may be a steep mountain to climb, signs of progress were visible in The Netherlands two weekends ago, not least as Lowes qualified on the second row of the grid and went on to finish Race 2 in ninth place.

Several riders will reach landmark race start numbers in Italy. Ayrton Badovini will make his 130th World Superbike start in Race 2 and Davide Giugliano’s return will begin with his 80th race in the opening encounter. As for championship leader Jonathan Rea, Imola’s second race will see him become the 24th rider to start 150 races in WorldSBK’s premier class. He debuted on the Algarve in 2008; since then, Rea has amassed 21 race wins, 50 podium finishes, 13 Superpoles and 13 fastest laps. He also carries the sixth-largest lead after the opening eight races of a season in the series’ history, with a 50-point cushion over Haslam.

2015 eni FIM Superbike World Championship (4 of 13 rounds completed)
1 – Jonathan Rea Kawasaki Racing Team – 190
2 – Leon Haslam Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils – 140
3 – Chaz Davies Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team – 123
4 – Tom Sykes Kawasaki Racing Team – 88
5 – Jordi Torres Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils – 83

Video: Copyright Dorna WSBK Organization

Content & Photo: www.worldsbk.com

Leon Haslam starts from Pole Position

Apr 11, 2015

The Aprilia rider to be joined on the front row by fellow Britons Davies and Sykes.

April 11, 2015. Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) will start tomorrow’s two WorldSBK races of the third round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship from Pole Position. A lap time of 1.49.664s, the fastest of the weekend so far and the quickest ever for a superbike on the new MotorLand Aragon configuration, left the Englishman 0.033s ahead of his nearest rivals Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team), with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) who will join him on the front row. For Haslam this is his first Pole Position since Phillip Island in 2010 and only the second of his career.

Row two will see championship leader Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) aboard his Ninja ZX-10, Xavi Fores who continues his impressive debut weekend on the second of the Aruba.it Ducati Superbike Team) and Ayrton Badovini.

The third row was decided in the final seconds of the session, with Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) taking 7^th. He will start alongside Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) and Nico Terol (Althea Racing Ducati).

Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Ducati), Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and David Salom (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) complete the top-12 in a grid that sees five manufacturers inside the top-10.

Earlier, Badovini and Lowes were the two riders to progress from Superpole 1 into the final 15-minute shoot-out, as reigning Champion Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) missed out on one of the top two places available, the pair qualifying 14^th and 19^th respectively.

WorldSBK MotorLand Aragon – Tissot-Superpole
1 – Leon Haslam Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils 1’49.664
2 – Chaz Davies Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team +0.033
3 – Tom Sykes Kawasaki Racing Team +0.199

Source & Photo: WorldSBK.com

Rea arrasa en la Carrera 1 de Buriram

Mar 22, 2015

Completan el podio en segundo Haslam y Sykes ,quien superó a Torres, en tercer lugar.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) ha dado un nuevo golpe de autoridad en el Campeonato de WorldSBK 2015 al imponerse con gran rotundidad en la Carrera 1 disputada este domingo en el Chang International Circuit de Tailandia.

El inglés, que ayer logró su segunda Superpole de la temporada, ha sacado partido de su posición en la parrilla para situase al frente de la carrera desde que se han apagado los semáforos e iniciar a continuación una vertiginosa escapada. En la cuarta vuelta su ventaja era ya de 2 segundos sobre su más inmediato perseguidor, su compatriota Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team -Red Devils), que había superado previamente al compañero de equipo de Rea, Tom Sykes.

También Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) ha superado al ex campeón inglés en la sexta vuelta tras una apurada maniobra en la que han llegado a tocarse los carenados de las dos monturas.

Un giro más tarde se ha producido el abandono de Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) a causa de un problema mecánico. La carrera ha tomado un rumbo algo accidentado en esa fase. Uno de los favoritos, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team), se ha caído en la novena vuelta, aunque ha podido regresar a pista en una retrasada 15ª posición. Lowes también se ha ido al suelo (vuelta 12) en el mismo punto. El inglés de Suzuki también se ha reincorporado a la pista, pero recolocado en la 8ª posición.

Rea ha mantenido su fuerte ritmo hasta el final y en el momento de cruzar la meta mantenía una ventaja de más de 6 segundos sobre Haslam, que ha sido segundo y ha sumado su tercer podio consecutivo en este arranque de temporada. Beneficiado por la caída de Lowes, Sykes ha recuperado la tercera posición y ha podido contabilizar su primer podio de 2015 pese a la persecución a la que le ha sometido Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) en el último tercio de la prueba.

El catalán ha mantenido de inicio un pulso con Troy Bayliss (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati SBK Team) para consolidarse en la 6ª posición y después ha podido dar cuenta del actual campeón, Sylvain Guintoli (PATA Honda World Superbike Team), que ha cruzado junto a la bandera a cuadros en quinta posición. En los últimos giros, Torres ha amagado con adelantar al piloto de Suzuki, pero finalmente ha tenido que aceptar la 4ª posición, repitiendo su mejor actuación en el Round inicial de Phillip Island.

Lowes ha recuperado terreno en los giros finales y ha cruzado la meta en sexta posición*. Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing) y el ex campeón australiano Bayliss* han firmado la 7ª y 8ª posición.

David Salom (Team Pedercini) ha firmado un meritorio noveno puesto y ha sumado sus primeros puntos en su regreso a la competición tras la caída y lesión que se produjo en Phillip Island. El argentino Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing) ha completado el top 10 de la carrera.

Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Niccolò Canepa (Team Hero EBR) both han tenido que abandonar en las primeras etapas, al igual que los wildcard locales Chanon Chumjai (RAC Oil Racing Team) y Anucha Nakcharoensri (YSS TS Racing) y el francés Christophe Ponsson (Grillini Racing Team), que se ha ido al suelo en el quinto giro.

* Posteriormente, A.Lowes (nº 22) y T.Bayliss (nº 21) han sido sancionados con la pérdida de 1 posición para adelantar con bandera amarilla a las 13.23 en la vuelta 14 – art. 1.23.2.

Fuente y Foto: www.worldsbk.com

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The first ever WorldSBK race to be held in Thailand has been won by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), who dominated the 20-lap encounter at the all-new Chang International Circuit in Buriram. Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) and Rea’s team mate Tom Sykes joined him on the podium.

Rea led from the start, building up a two-second lead over the chasing pack by the end of lap five and winning by 6.329s at the flag. Courtesy of the seventeenth win of his career, the Briton now lies atop the standings with a five-point lead over Haslam.

Former champion Tom Sykes made a great start from the second row, shadowing his team mate for the opening few turns before he was passed by the Aprilia Racing machine of Leon Haslam, who then set about hunting down Kawasaki-mounted Rea.

As the leading two eased away, the battle for 3^rd was intense with Sykes, front row qualifier Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team) and Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) embroiled in a titanic fight, that saw a number of close overtaking moves around the 4.5km circuit. Davies crashed out of 5^th at the end of the 9^thlap, the double podium finisher in Australia was able to remount, eventually finishing in 11^th.

By half distance the gap between the leading two was constant but as Alex Lowes slid out of podium contention at the final turn on lap 13, the closest on track battle was for 3^rd between Sykes and WorldSBK rookie Jordi Torres who was looking strong in 4^th and gradually closing in on the former champion.

With the packed grandstand erupting to the cheers of the enthusiastic fans at the end of the final lap, Rea was able to clinch the win. Haslam crossed the line 1.9s ahead of Sykes and Torres, the trio completing the top-four.

Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) rode a lonely race to be classified an eventual 5^th ahead of a recovering Alex Lowes who was able to salvage 10 points with a sixth place finish.

Behind the top-six the remaining top ten positions were rounded out by Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing Ducati), Troy Bayliss (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team), David Salom (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) and Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Ducati) who rounded out the top ten respectively after an enthralling race long fight.

Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Niccolò Canepa (Team Hero EBR) both retired in the early stages along with local wildcard rider Chanon Chumjai (RAC Oil Racing Team). Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike) retired from the top ten at the start of lap seven as did Anucha Nakcharoensri (YSS TS Racing)

Christophe Ponsson (Grillini Racing Team Kawasaki) was the only other faller, the youngest rider on the WorldSBK grid crashed uninjured at turn one on lap five.

Source and Photo: www.worldsbk.com