ROUND 7/JUNE 30, 2013
ENZO/DINO FERRARI CIRCUIT/IMOLA, ITALY
WORLD SUPERBIKE
P92
WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Sykes (66) leads Davide
Giugliano (34), Jonathan
Rea (65) and the rest of the
Superbike field off the start.
ferings on the 2012 version of the
big Ninja. Not in 2013, where it
seems the Kawasaki handled the
heat best.
Having fallen in bizarre circumstances at the previous Portimao
round, after a silly mistake by hitting a raised curb on his sighting
lap, he said sorry to his crew in
the best way possible.
"I am leading the championship for the first time in my career, but the point is to be leading after India," Sykes said. "For
now it has not even crossed my
mind and we have other things to
focus on. I will stick to my original plan. There was no pressure
from my crew chief Marcel – not!
There is never any pressure from
him! When the temperature got
hot it looked like our pace was
also still good. As Marcel said, if
I had not won both races today I
would have probably been asking
myself why when I eat my pizza
for dinner tonight! We have come
out on top, won both races and I
do not need to ask myself questions."
Sykes' other main rivals all had
what is becoming a regular feast
and famine of a weekend.
Even the previous points leader Guintoli finally had his first
taste of bad luck in a race, after white smoke and no forward
motion implied that some of the
engine parts of his factory Aprilia
had made a break for freedom
at an inopportune time in the
opener. He had finished no lower
than sixth until Imola, and made
his own more usual podium mark
with third in race two.
He is now six points behind
Sykes, exactly the same number of points he will gain if the
ongoing appeal against Sykes'
finishing ahead of him at Monza,
in a chicane-rules dispute, is up-
held anytime before the Moscow
race. So we have a six-point current lead or a virtual tie, take your
pick.
"Without this problem in race
one I think it would have probably
been another couple of podiums
today," Guintoli said. "I am not
putting my guard down. I do not
feel any different because I have
lost the championship lead. I do
