WorldSSP
The new WorldSSP Championship
leader is Frenchman Jules Cluzel
(GMT94 Yamaha). His start-to-fin-
ish run at the front in Buriram saw
him never quite escape the follow-
ing riders, some of whom had a go
at passing him, but he absorbed
and dissolved all pressure to score
his first win of the season, the
18th of his career—all after winning
Superpole on Saturday.
He won by 0.939 of a sec-
ond from Randy Krummenacher
(Bardahl Evan Bros./WorldSSP
Yamaha) and Federico Caricasulo,
Krummenacher's teammate.
Krummenacher made an epic
fight back from eighth on lap one,
working his way to what looked
an unlikely second place until the
latter stages of all 17-laps.
After sparring with Krumme-
nacher on his chase through to
second, third placed Caricasulo
and Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing
Yamaha) had a fight right at the
end with Italian Caricasulo winning
for his second such position in two
races.
A Yamaha season for sure
again, but it was not all good
news, as Thomas Gradinger (Kal-
lio Racing Yamaha) had to pull out
of fourth place when billowing blue
smoke emanated from his bike,
and he took a while to notice.
Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta
Reparto Corse) picked up fifth
place after passing fast qualifying
and early podium placed man,
Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti
Racing) who got outgunned down
the long straights.
Hector Barbera (Team Toth by
Willirace) was seventh, but Lu-
cas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti
Racing) became an early victim of
the new regulations that limit tire
pressures to a minimum of 1.6 bar
(23.2 lbs).
He had to start from the back of
the grid—24th and not the ninth of
his already disappointing Super-
pole qualification. Eighth was a mi-
nor miracle in the circumstances.
In the points standings after
two rounds, Krummenacher and
Cluzel have 45 apiece, Caricasulo
32 and Barbera 22.
Gordon Ritchie
WORLDSBK RACE ONE
1. Alvaro Bautista (Duc)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kaw)
3. Alex Lowes (Yam)
4. Michael van der Mark (Yam)
5. Leon Haslam (Kaw)
WORLDSBK RACE TWO
1. Alvaro Bautista (Duc)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kaw)
3. Alex Lowes (Yam)
4. Michael van der Mark (Yam)
5. Leon Haslam (Kaw)
WORLDSSP
1. Jules Cluzel (Yam)
2. Randy Krummenacher (Yam)
3. Federico Caricasulo (Yam)
4. Isaac Vinales (Yam)
5. Raffaele De Rosa (MV)
IN
THE
WIND
P54
WorldSSP was another
cracking race, with
Jules Cluzel (16) holding
strong for the win and the
championship lead.
