Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/958653
IN THE WIND P38 the experienced Spaniard, adds another name to the probable list of podium regulars from now on in 2018. A tech issue spoiled Eugene Laverty's first race, which he finished in ninth, but a horrible crash involving the Irish rider and Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) saw the Milwau- kee Aprilia runner unavoidably hit in the lower back by Torres' front wheel. Laverty had fallen right in front of him, and bike and rider did not slide away to the outside of the track, as you may normally expect them to. It looked horrible to the onlookers, especially as Laverty was lying on the asphalt run-off area of turn six, surrounded by track staff and medics as the race raged on. Taken to hospital, a scan found a broken right pubic ramus bone in his lower pelvis, but thankfully no more serious problems. Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) had a weekend of falls and then bad luck, not feeling comfortable in race one and then suffering some brake issues in race two. PJ Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) took his semi-supported Honda, running Marelli electronics and not the Cosworth system on the Red Bull Hondas, and scored a tenth place in race two. "Our first top ten in WorldSBK was a good step for us," said Jacobsen. "We have come a long way since the first round in Phillip Island, both with the electronics and with the chassis and elec- tronics going together." At the sharp end of the points table, Rea leads the champion- ship despite some bad luck in the second race, but by just two points from Melandri, who would give anything for some stability from his Panigale. Rea has 69 points from a pos- sible 100, Melandri 67, Fores 60, Davies 57, Lowes 48, van der Mark 45 and Sykes 43. WorldSSP A superb five-rider fight for podium domination in the early laps of the Chang WorldSSP race was once again something of a Yamaha YZF-R6 festival but you cannot knock the entertainment value, even if the band are all playing along to the same tuning fork drum. In the combative 17-lap race the last corner was most com- bative of all, as Randy Krum- menacher (Bardahl Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) made his WorldSSP return count. He and now joint championship leader Randy Krummenacher proved he's back and ready for the fight with a stunning WorldSSP win.