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WORLD SUPERBIKE WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL ROUND/NOVEMBER 2, 2014 LOSAIL CIRCUIT/LOSAIL, QATAR P36 But most of all, it should be remembered for new champion Sylvain Guintoli and his refor- matted 2014 Aprilia works team overturning a 44-point advantage that Sykes left the Laguna Seca round with way back in July. In the ensuing six races Sykes never had the better of Guintoli or his improving Aprilia and, in wet conditions like in the previous round at Magny-Cours, the dam- age was even worse to Sykes' lead. There's no Gigi Dall'igna in Aprilia Racing any more, but they seem to be doing just fine with new boss Romano Albesiano at the helm. And as a goodbye to full factory direct World Super- bike racing, it was top drawer. Going into the final round in Losail, under the floodlights for the very first time for the World Superbike paddock, Sykes still had a more than useful 12-point advantage. So even if Guin- toli won them both – unlikely as Marco Melandri was the real on- form Aprilia man and had already proven capable of ignoring team HIGH WATER VAN DER MARK The only blot on recently crowned World Supersport Champion Michael van der Mark's scrapbook in 2014 was when he impetuously crashed in the slightly comedic five-lap sprint race that doled out full points in the opening round in Australia. But so did three-time World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu so it happens to the best of them. But for that one slip-up van der Mark has put in either a win or a sec- ond place for the entire season. Entering the Losail round he had five of each, firsts or seconds, next to his name and right on cue as he leaves the series and rejoins his team as a World Superbike rider, he tipped the balance towards the wins columns with his sixth victory of the year. "This season has been amazing," said van der Mark. "Today has been great and we showed the reason why we are champions because we were really consistent. I want to thank the team because they all worked so hard and wanted to get the championship so much. I had a great bike and a great rhythm, and I want to thank all the team and sponsors who helped me. I could not think of a better way to finish my Supersport career." In the 15-lap race in Qatar he sim- ply shot off from second place on the grid into an early lead and was never headed. He was accompanied by a shadow the entire race and we do not mean the kind that the floodlights of Qatar provide for each rider. His remarkable companion, just a couple or three seconds back all the time, was Core PTR Honda's Rat- thapark Wilairot. Running both Moto2 and World Supersport this year he felt that track time was starting to count and he took his first podium in World Supersport with real aplomb, finishing 3.6 sec- onds behind van der Mark at the flag but 1.5 seconds up on final podium man, MV Agusta Reparto Corse's Jules Cluzel and two other riders. "It felt fantastic to podium in this race because I felt good even from the start of the first practice session and then I have tried to improve lap- by-lap," Wilairot said. "I have to say thanks to the team for a good set-up on the bike. This is my first podium in the World Championship so this is for all the sponsors and people who sup- port me, and my fans in Thailand." Cluzel would rob van der Mark of his early new lap record best with a 2:01.999 to shake off two Yamaha riders – a time that he set on the very last lap. Cluzel, the definition of French flair and mercurial talent, is capable of these kind of things. He finished a clear second in the championship to boot, but a whopping 82 points behind van der Mark. Behind the leading riders a battle was brewing nicely in the early laps "I AM A NICE PERSON. I CAN BE REALLY NICE WITH THE PEOPLE WHO LIKE ME AND HELP ME AND ARE NICE WITH ME, BUT I DO NOT THINK THIS IS THE CASE WITH MY TEAMMATE [SYKES]. HE HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN REALLY NICE. I HAVE HELPED HIM IN MAGNY-COURS, BUT NOT IN THIS ONE." – LORIS BAZ

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