WSB 2014: Qatar race 1 results
Ignored team orders make for a close championship battle
THE first ever Qatar World Superbike race to be held under floodlights saw Sylvain Guintoli win with Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes having to settle for second after his team-mate Loris Baz ignored team orders.
Pata Honda’s Jonathan Rea led from the start before Baz took over. The top eight riders were separated by just over a second in the first half of the race before Guintoli and Baz made a break for it.
It was lap 13 that sent the Aprilia garage cheering as Marco Melandri, Guintoli’s team-mate, passed Sykes. On the following lap the Frenchman Guintoli overtook Baz to take the lead and cross the line first.
It became a close battle for the championship as Guintoli reeled in the reigning World Champion Sykes to only three points between them.
Baz did not obey team orders to drop a place and allow Sykes to take second place.
Rea finished fourth ahead of Davide Giugliano with Red Devils Roma Aprilia’s Toni Elias in sixth.
Despite Niccolo Canepa finishing ahead of David Salom by 0.011s it was Salom that took the EVO class series victory.
Race one results:
1. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Aprilia Racing
2. Loris Baz FRA Kawasaki Racing +2.650
3. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki Racing +3.955
4. Jonathan Rea GBR PATA Honda World Superbike +4.805
5. Davide Giugliano ITA Ducati Superbike Team +7.861
6. Toni Elias ESP Red Devils Roma Aprilia +8.192
7. Chaz Davies GBR Ducati Superbike Team +8.991
8. Marco Melandri ITA Aprilia Racing +10.512
9. Eugene Laverty IRL Voltcom Crescent Suzuki +15.978
10. Alex Lowes GBR Voltcom Crescent Suzuki +21.456
11. Leon Haslam GBR PATA Honda World Superbike+25.977
12. Niccolo Canepa* ITA Althea Ducati +29.085
13. David Salom* ESP Kawasaki Racing +29.096
14. Sylvain Barrier* FRA BMW Italia +39.270
15. Bryan Staring* AUS IRON BRAIN Kawasaki +43.360
16. Jeremy Guarnoni* FRA MRS Kawasaki +46.206
17. Geoff May USA Team Hero EBR +1:16.323
18. Imre Toth* HUN Team Toth BMW +1 lap
DNF. Alessandro Andreozzi* ITA Pedercini Kawasaki
DNF. Gabor Rizmayer* HUN Team Toth BMW
DNF. Alex Cudlin* AUS Pedercini Kawasaki
DNF. Aaron Yates USA Team Hero EBR
DNF. Claudio Corti ITA MV Agusta RC
