Cycle News

ROUND 6/JUNE 9, 2013 ALGARVE CIRCUIT/PORTIMAO, PORTUGAL WORLD SUPERBIKE LOWES FOUR PLAYS P84 WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP It's unfair to say that the result of the World Supersport race at Portimao was a foregone conclusion in favor of pole man and eventual winner Sam Lowes, but at the end of a classic tactical scrap of a race, the Yakhnich Motorsport Yamaha rider had the pace to go when it mattered. "I had a plan for the last lap, pushed quite a lot and in the end I made a good lap time," Lowes said. "In the end it was great and four in a row makes me happy. The Kawasaki guys were working together I think and whenever Kenan [Sofuoglu] got to the front he slowed the pace a lot, more than a lot, a bit ridiculous. If I had got beaten because of it I would have felt a bit worse, but at the end of the day that is racing and it came down in my favor." His rivals - mainly race long elbow-rubbers Fabien Foret and Sofuoglu – were not happy, and Foret is curing his bad last-lap move for "When you go in 44 points down and you know you cannot afford to lose any more, then you have to make that one count." Guintoli may have been slightly unhappy not to beat BMW's Marco Melandri to the race-one The fight for the win in the first race went to the bitter end with Marco Melandri chasing down Sylvain Guintoli to win by just .007 of a second. losing the chance of what could have been a second win of 2013. The leading three were playing a game brought on by the delaying tactics of both Mahi Kawasaki riders, as they tried to get Lowes to slow enough to let them both get ahead at the flag. Their careful plan was mucked up – pleasingly so for the neutrals – when the constant position changing and barging allowed Pata Racing's Michal van Der Mark to draw himself close enough to mount his own attack. The confusion of his arrival probably helped Lowes and over the last half lap he eased away to end the prospects of a final lap quite as unpredictable and entertaining as the first 19 had been. It was a minor classic, and it gave Lowes four wins in a row and, according to his team, another at Imola would be a record in Supersport. His margin of victory was .380 of a second, but it felt like half a minute after all that close win by such a small margin, but Melandri was even more angry to see his back tire go off so badly in race two, held in almost identical coolish conditions as race one. It left him in 12th and 45 seconds behind the winner. action. All the top t by .502 of a secon 1.322 seconds bac Sofuoglu acknow was a worthy winne his set-up has an u problem that is hold "We had a plan t down because I ne [Lowes] to be not e or fourth so I can m Sofuoglu said. "It lo championship. I am Sam did not come serves to have his 3 doing a good job a races in a row." Foret was a happ races recently and plan from the start, "I got a podium a rounds, I will take it "I am getting closer to winning, as close as it can be at .007 seconds behind Melandri," Guintoli said. "I wanted to win that first race and I think it showed on the track because I was aggressive and I really wanted it. The second

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