Sterilgarda Yamaha's Ben Spies sensationally pulled out of the first World Superbike race while leading into the last turn, handing Xerox Ducati's Michel Fabrizio his debut win in front of a home crowd at Monza.
Spies was in front by a half a second as he, Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga turned into the Parabolica for the last time but the American sat up as he ran out of fuel. All three riders had been miles inside the race lap record, so fuel consumption would have been increased.
As Spies cruised along the pitwall, Fabrizio crossed the line with Haga in close attendance and Max Biaggi in third. However, Biaggi was penalised 20 seconds for cutting one of the chicanes, handing third to Ryuichi Kiyonari. Leon Haslam also ran out fuel, which meant he scored no points and wa overtaken in the championship standings by Fabrizio.
The race was red-flagged after a pair of massive crashes going into the stupid first chicane and at the re-start Haga got away from the line first but Fabrizio was first into turn one, leading his team-mate, Spies, Max Biaggi and Yukio Kagayama.
The leading three quickly dropped Biaggi and Kagayama, and began their dice for the lead. After four laps, Fabrizio ran wide going into turn one, allowing the American and the Japanese past. A lap later, Spies slipstreamed Haga for the lead and tried to make a break.
Fabrizio then went past his team-mate again going into the Parabolica with ten laps to go and promptly set the lap record, circulating in a 1'45.336. Further down the field, Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes were scrapping for sixth place but were being reeled in by Kiyonari.
With six to go, Fabrizio and Haga had pulled in the half-second gap to Spies but then began to dice among themselves, bouncing off each other going into Ascari twice as Spies tried to break away again.
With three to go, Fabrizio went past Spies, waving as he did so, into turn one and tried to make his break but a lap later, Fabrizio went into turn one to fast, ran wide and let both Spies and Haga back past.
Fabrizio then went past Haga again on the penultimate lap, bouncing off him into Ascari, and looked to have secured second until Spies pulled to the side of the track, rolling into a 15th place finish.
Ten Kate's Honda's Jonathan Rea eventually had to give best to team-mate Kiyonari, finishing sixth with Tom Sykes a place behind in seventh. Shane Byrne got in the points, yst ahead of Spies in 14th with Tommy Hill in 20th.
