Sterilgarda Ducati team boss Marco Borciani has been forced to publicly apologise for Ruben Xaus' behaviour at the end of the first World Superbike race at Donington Park.

There was a heated exchange between the Spaniard and team-mate Max Biaggi on the podium as Xaus believed he was third but a technical rule put him out of the results as he crashed on the red flag lap.

Borciani said: "We are very sorry about the behaviour of Ruben in the podium area, and we also wish to apologize to our rider, Max Biaggi, for the words expressed to him by his team-mate. We fully understand Xaus's heated reaction, because at the time it may have seemed that injustice had been done towards him, due to a clause in the regulations. The matter has now been cleared up and put behind us by both the team and its two riders."