The rumble between Max Biaggi and Noriyuki Haga looks set to roll into the 2008 season after Haga crashed in spectacular fashion following a pass put on him by the Roman Emperor in this morning’s race one.
Biaggi put a hard pass on the Samurai of Slide halfway through lap six, Haga took his hand off the bars to gesticluate at the Italian and lost control of his Yamaha, falling into the gravel. The incident wasn’t disimilar to their coming together at Misano last year (click here). The Japanese rider remounted and finished just inside the points.
In a great opening round, Bayliss took the win on the last corner from Biaggi with polesitter Troy Corser in third, Ruben Xaus in fourth and Max Neukirchner fifth.
This is first time Ducati has won at Qatar, a track he has described at the factory’s ‘bogey circuit’. Bayliss had a poor superpole by his standard, qualifying seventh and dropped to eighth on lap one. Suzuki’s new rider Neukirchner let away from the lights and was in control for most of the race until he began to suffer tyre problems with a third of the race to go.
Bayliss took to the grass some five times in his efforts to get to the front and it looked like he had let his tyres come to him and then they had gone away inside two laps. However, in typical Bayliss style, he held it together and clawed his way up to and past Biaggi on the last lap.
Result:
1 7 21 T. BAYLISS AUS Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098 F08 18 1’59.603 303,7 1’59.224 295,4 25 25 1
2 3 3 M.BIAGGI ITA Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati 1098 RS 08 18 0.396 1’59.422 302,8 1’58.767 293,8 20 20 2
3 1 11 T. CORSER AUS Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Yamaha YZF-R1 18 1.878 1’59.699 307,1 1’58.053 295,4 16 16 3
4 2 111 R. XAUS ESP Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati 1098 RS 08 18 4.487 2’00.181 301,1 1’58.689 295,4 13 13 4
5 4 76 M.NEUKIRCHNER GER Team Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 18 7.505 1’59.624 308,9 1’58.964 302,8 11 11 5
6 9 7 C. CHECA ESP Hannspree Ten Kate HondaHonda CBR1000RR 18 9.639 2’00.311 302,8 1’59.417 291,4 10 10 6
7 11 10 F. NIETO ESP Team Suzuki Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 18 9.725 1’59.789 308,0 1’59.921 303,7 9 9 7
8 8 34 Y. KAGAYAMA JPN Team Suzuki Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 18 19.537 2’00.422 302,0 1’59.285 296,2 8 8 8
9 10 84 M.FABRIZIO ITA Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098 F08 18 23.156 2’00.315 305,4 1’59.450 298,6 7 7 9
10 12 96 J. SMRZ CZE Guandalini Grifo’sDucati 1098 RS 08 18 24.429 2’01.139 310,7 1’59.984 297,8 6 6 10
11 15 44 R. ROLFO ITA Hannspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR 18 27.595 2’01.504 299,5 2’01.208 295,4 5 5 11
12 14 54 K. SOFUOGLU TUR Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 18 27.979 2’01.174 308,0 2’00.313 298,6 4 4 13 13 36 G.LAVILLA ESP Ventaxia VK Honda Honda CBR1000RR 18 28.237 2’01.349 302,8 2’00.095 294,6 3 3 13
14 6 41 N.HAGA JPN Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Yamaha YZF-R1 18 30.205 1’59.217 303,7 1’59.017 298,6 2 2 14
15 25 55 R. LACONI FRA Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki ZX-10R 18 31.882 2’01.274 305,4 2’01.429 294,6 1 1 15
16 5 57 L. LANZI ITA R.G. Team Ducati 1098 RS 08 18 32.067 2’01.312 295,4 1’58.975 289,1
17 18 31 K. MUGGERIDGE AUS D.F. Racing Honda CBR1000RR 18 40.745 2’01.478 297,0 2’00.607 286,8
18 16 86 A. BADOVINI ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 18 41.280 2’01.663 300,3 2’01.238 293,0
19 21 13 V. IANNUZZO ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 18 41.333 2’01.606 302,0 2’00.854 299,5
20 17 194 S. GIMBERT FRA Yamaha France Ipone GMTY 9a4maha YZF-R1 18 41.743 2’01.729 296,2 2’00.554 286,8
21 26 38 S. NAKATOMI JPN YZF Yamaha Yamaha YZF-R1 18 43.183 2’01.802 301,1 2’01.675 291,4
22 20 23 R. KIYONARI JPN Hannspree Ten Kate HondaHonda CBR1000RR 18 43.569 2’01.255 302,8 2’00.698 287,5
23 19 94 D. CHECA ESP Yamaha France Ipone GMTY 9a4maha YZF-R1 18 43.892 2’01.881 295,4 2’00.643 280,8
24 22 83 R. HOLLAND AUS D.F. Racing Honda CBR1000RR 18 50.380 2’01.442 305,4 2’00.971 289,8
25 27 88 S. AOYAMA JPN Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR 18 1’12.884 2’02.248 299,5 2’02.059 298,6