With strong showings by familiar and unfamiliar faces this season, Race 2 at Monza proved to have some excitement up its sleeve. This anticipation proved to be worth it, as crashes took out victory hopefuls, leading to a comfortable finish for one rider, and nail biter for another. With a surprise podium in the mix, there’s a team still partying in Italy as we speak. Find out why after the jump.
With a multiple rider pile-up in the opening lap, Race 2 at Monza saw James Toseland (who would later go to the hospital with a concussion), Johnny Rea, and Ruben Xaus, down and out of racing contention. The crash, percipitated by a Toseland catching his brake lever on another bike, took all three riders down hard, and frustrated all three riders who had something to prove in Race 2. This unfortunate incident gave Max Biaggi some needed space as he fought for a double on home soil. The Italian rider would get a break as a busted motor saw a closing Cal Crutchlow careen into the gravel trap as his R1 spilled oil onto his rear tire.
Fortunately the racing line remained clean, and the race could continue unimpeded, which allowed Biaggi to pull away from the rest of the field. The battle for second, third, and forth remained, with Troy Corser looking for BMW’s first podium finish in WBSK since it’s return last season. The Bavarian team has had a podium finish on its to-do list for the season, and the magic of Tardozzi seems to have checked that item off the list. Corser finished a comfortable 3rd, but not before a closing Camier gave the BMW rider some concern on his pit board.
BMW’s gain has of course been Ducati’s loss, as Fabrizio crashed out early in the race for apparently no reason. Salvaging some of the weekend, Haga finished the day 6th. The Japanese rider will still likely be disappointed with that result, as he continues to struggle this season, after coming so close to winning the Championship last year.
Biaggi’s double at Monza, puts him just 3 points behind Haslam for the points lead, while Rea’s double DNF leaves him 71 points behind his fellow British compatriot, and tied with Carlos Checa for third in the standings. World Superbike racing will be back next weekend in South Africa, at Kyalami.
World Superbike Highlights from Race 2 at Monza, Italy:
Results from Race 2 of World Superbike at Monza, Italy:
| Pos | No. | Rider | Country | Bike | Diff |
| 1 | 3 | M. Biaggi | ITA | Aprilia RSV4 Factory | – |
| 2 | 91 | L. Haslam | GBR | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 4.547 |
| 3 | 11 | T. Corser | AUS | BMW S1000 RR | 5.469 |
| 4 | 2 | L. Camier | GBR | Aprilia RSV4 Factory | 10.267 |
| 5 | 66 | T. Sykes | GBR | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 15.561 |
| 6 | 41 | N. Haga | JPN | Ducati 1098R | 15.816 |
| 7 | 50 | S. Guintoli | FRA | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 15.861 |
| 8 | 96 | J. Smrz | CZE | Ducati 1098R | 20.977 |
| 9 | 67 | S. Byrne | GBR | Ducati 1098R | 21.920 |
| 10 | 99 | L. Scassa | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 21.974 |
| 11 | 7 | C. Checa | ESP | Ducati 1098R | 27.152 |
| 12 | 76 | M. Neukirchner | GER | Honda CBR1000RR | 29.315 |
| 13 | 77 | C. Vermeulen | AUS | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 30.858 |
| 14 | 95 | R. Hayden | USA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 47.160 |
| 15 | 23 | B. Parkes | AUS | Honda CBR1000RR | 48.824 |
| RET | 35 | C. Crutchlow | GBR | Yamaha YZF R1 | 6 Laps |
| RET | 15 | M. Baiocco | ITA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 8 Laps |
| RET | 57 | L. Lanzi | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 9 Laps |
| RET | 31 | V. Iannuzzo | ITA | Honda CBR1000RR | 12 Laps |
| RET | 84 | M. Fabrizio | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 17 Laps |
| RET | 52 | J. Toseland | GBR | Yamaha YZF R1 | – |
| RET | 111 | R. Xaus | ESP | BMW S1000 RR | – |
| RET | 65 | J. Rea | GBR | Honda CBR1000RR | – |
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