If the close racing of Race 1 wasn’t enough drama for the fans at Donington Park, Race 2 provided it in full. Another breakaway start, and a couple key crashes, lead to a shake up in the finishing results, and one rider was rushed off to the hospital for a suspected fractured vertabrae that might change the course of the season. Continue reading for spoilers.
Ben Spies took an uncontested Double at Donington by winning Race 2 with relative ease. Spies took the lead in the first corner, and never looked back, finishing 6 seconds ahead of second place Leon Haslam.
As the track at Donington warmed up, it was clear some riders had the wrong compound of tire on their race bikes. Max Biaggi crashed first, hanging up any hopes for redemption after running out of fuel in Race 1. A lap later, Noriyuki Haga had a nasty crash where his Ducati tumbled and landed on top of him.
Haga walked away from the crash, visibly in pain. It was suspected he had a fractured vertebrae, but a later CAT scan confirmed he did not, although he did break a series of other bones in his arm and shoulder.
With the podium shake up completed, the race was left for Leon Haslam, Michel Fabrizio, and Shane Byrne to figure out the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place spots in victory lane. Haslam ended up holding off Fabrizio, and Shakey finished 4th.
Spies made 25 points on Haga for his day’s work at Donington, and now only trails the Xerox Ducati by 14 points. The big question now will be whether Haga will be able to ride any of the remaining races of the season, and defend is now narrow lead.
We’ll keep your apprised of the news as we get it.
Results from Race 2 of World Superbike at Donington Park, UK:
| Pos. | Num. | Rider | Country | Bike | Diff |
| 1 | 19 | B. Spies | USA | Yamaha YZF R1 | |
| 2 | 91 | L. Haslam | GBR | Honda CBR1000RR | 6.622 |
| 3 | 84 | M. Fabrizio | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 6.816 |
| 4 | 67 | S. Byrne | GBR | Ducati 1098R | 7.349 |
| 5 | 66 | T. Sykes | GBR | Yamaha YZF R1 | 8.145 |
| 6 | 22 | L. Camier | GBR | Yamaha YZF R1 | 13.463 |
| 7 | 9 | R. Kiyonari | JPN | Honda CBR1000RR | 15.751 |
| 8 | 27 | J. Ellison | GBR | Yamaha YZF R1 | 16.837 |
| 9 | 111 | R. Xaus | ESP | BMW S1000 RR | 22.891 |
| 10 | 117 | S. Andrews | GBR | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 30.347 |
| 11 | 57 | L. Lanzi | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 30.622 |
| 12 | 14 | M. Lagrive | FRA | Honda CBR1000RR | 31.562 |
| 13 | 71 | Y. Kagayama | JPN | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 | 32.148 |
| 14 | 23 | B. Parkes | AUS | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 32.607 |
| 15 | 65 | J. Rea | GBR | Honda CBR1000RR | 32.806 |
| 16 | 99 | L. Scassa | ITA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 34.269 |
| 17 | 79 | B. Young | USA | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 | 40.644 |
| 18 | 36 | G. Lavilla | ESP | Ducati 1098R | 40.956 |
| 19 | 25 | D. Salom | ESP | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 41.302 |
| 20 | 11 | T. Corser | AUS | BMW S1000 RR | 42.856 |
| 21 | 3 | M. Biaggi | ITA | Aprilia RSV4 Factory | 47.769 |
| RET | 77 | V. Iannuzzo | ITA | Honda CBR1000RR | 8 Laps |
| RET | 88 | R. Resch | AUT | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 | 8 Laps |
| RET | 53 | A. Polita | ITA | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 | 17 Laps |
| RET | 7 | C. Checa | ESP | Honda CBR1000RR | 18 Laps |
| RET | 94 | D. Checa | ESP | Yamaha YZF R1 | 18 Laps |
| RET | 41 | N. Haga | JPN | Ducati 1098R | 19 Laps |
| RET | 96 | J. Smrz | CZE | Ducati 1098R | 21 Laps |
| RET | 56 | S. Nakano | JPN | Aprilia RSV4 Factory | 22 Laps |
| RET | 2 | J. Hacking | USA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 22 Laps |
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