Sterilgarda Yamaha's Ben Spies has taken victory in an historic World Superbike race one at Misano this morning where, for the first time, riders came in to change bikes at the wet rack dried.

WSB organisers changed the rules for 2009 to mirror MotoGP so racing is flag-to-flag and isn't stopped if it rains. The American's pit-crew judged his swap perfectly and he won by eight seconds from reigning British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne in second. Michel Fabrizio just held on to third place after being pushed hard by Jakub Smrz for the final handful of laps.
Byrne led away from the line after BMW's Troy Corser crashed on the warm-up lap and Ten Kate Honda's Jonathan Rea was forced to start from pitlane and it wasn't long before Byrne had opened up a commanding lead over Smrz, Fabrizio and Spies.

With 19 laps to go, Rea was brought in for a ride-thorough penalty which dropped him down to 18th place as Byrne stretched his lead, revelling in the wet conditions at a Ducati track.

BMW's Ruben Xaus was also liking the slipperiness, taking place after place as Byrne extended his lead to more than eight seconds with 18 laps to go, which was ten seconds by the time they crossed the line two laps later.

Haga, meanwhile, was scything his way to the back of the field, being passed by Leon Haslam, Gregorio Lavilla and Jamie Hacking in the space of three corners.

Aprilia's Shinya Nakano was the first rider to change bikes with 15 laps to go as Byrne and Carlos Checa began to swap fastest laps. Haga was next rider in to change as Checa began to catch Fabrizio and Spies.

With 12 laps left, Spies and Rea both pitted but Rea second bike refused to start and had to be pushed halfway up pitlane before it fired and re-joined the track. At this point, Byrne was 22 seconds in the clear and he pitted with eight laps remaining.

This left Xaus leading with Byrne emerging in second, Jamie Hacking third and Haslam fourth but Spies was on a charge, lapping seven seconds faster than the rest of the field.

The American eventually went past Xaus to take the lead with seven laps to go - the Spaniard pitting one lap later and then getting a ride through for his trouble - as Spies stretched away.

Smrz, meanwhile was all over the back of Fabrizio and it was only the factory Ducati's superior corner-exit speed out of the final turn that kept Smrz behind for second place. Haga managed to get past his big mate Yukio Kagayama on the final lap to take fifth.

Rea finished the race in seventh with Tom Sykes eighth and Leon Haslam in 12th.
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