Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty won the first World Superbike race at the Istanbul Park circuit this morning after getting the better of Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes on lap 12 through the final turn and led till the chequered flag.
After Laverty passed the Yorkshireman he had to contend with a challenge for the victory from GoldBet BMW’s Marco Melandri. The diminutive rider started the race in fourth, but made a move on Aprilia's Sylvain Guintoli on turn eight on lap 14 to put him in third.
The Italian then had Sykes in his sights, then on lap 16 coming out of the opening straight Melandri made a move on Huddersfield’s finest that stuck, and then remained in second till the chequered flag appeared.
Sykes then had to contend with the challenge from championship rival, Guintoli. The Frenchman did try and make a move on the Brit on the penultimate lap on turn 15, but Sykes was too strong, and the Aprilia rider finished just outside the podium spots in fourth.
There was an altercation out on track between Red Devils rider Toni Elias and Althea Racing’s Davide Giugliano. The two lads had been fighting for the fifth place finish from lap eleven, and coming out of the last turn the two racers collided with each other and are both under investigation. But it was Giugliano who snatched fifth, as they crossed the finishing line.
GoldBet BMW’s Chaz Davies lost out on seventh to Fixi Crescent Suzuki’s Jules Cluzel. The Welshman did start the race in fifth, but on lap ten both Elias, Giugliano and Cluzel overtook the Powys resident after he went wide and he was never able to get back inside the top five.
Pata Honda team-mate’s Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea’s stand-in rider Michel Fabrizio were locked in a battle right to the bitter end. They too touched going in to the home straight with the Smalley rider, just edging the Italian to cross the line in ninth, with Fabrizio rounding off the top ten.