Crutchlow wins home double
Added on Sunday, August 1st, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Crutchlow dominates at Silverstone
Cal Crutchlow scored a double victory at Silverstone this afternoon, after dominating the World Superbike round all weekend.
The Brits had it their own way on home soil, with early race one leader Jonathan Rea gaining the advantage over pole man Crutchlow. The latter was forced to take his place behind Rea for much of the opening laps, whilst Rea attempted to aid his championship campaign.
After being on top of the times all weekend so far, Crutchlow fought hard to regain his spot at the front. Persistence finally paid off, when the Yamaha Sterilgarda rider saw an opportunity to make a break for the lead. From here he carved his way towards the chequered flag, setting a new lap record in the process, with a time of 2:05.259 seconds.
With the dominant Yamaha across the line, Rea was able to hold onto a strong second place finish, whilst championship contender Leon Haslam made it the first all British podium since Assen earlier in the year.
Michel Fabrizio just missed out on a podium crossing the line fourth, whilst championship leader Max Biaggi followed him home in fifth. Biaggi’s Aprilia Alitalia teammate, Leon Camier, was next up in sixth, after fighting his way through from sixteenth on the grid.
Carlos Checa finished seventh, with James Toseland eighth, Shane Byrne ninth and Troy Corser tenth after slipping back earlier on.
Race two got underway with a mirror effect, as Rea slipped into the lead once again, with Crutchlow second. Despite controlling the pace for the majority of the outing, Crutchlow again found a way passed Rea, leaping into the lead right when it mattered.
Rea was unable to regain his position at the front, leaving him to take home another second place. Camier had a stronger outing this time, completing the podium in third. Home support from the British fans obviously played a part, with fellow Brits Haslam and Toseland making it a British top five. This is the first time in WSB history that five British riders filled the top five positions, and on home soil as well.
Biaggi extended his title charge with a sixth place finish, with Sylvain Guintoli seventh, Byrne eighth, Jakub Smrz ninth and Checa tenth.
Crutchlow rode to the top step of the podium for the very first time in his WSB career, and making it a double was even better for the Yamaha rider. It was also the first win of the season for his Yamaha Sterilgard outfit. Commenting on his double triumph, Crutchlow told the WSB website: “As people have said, it’s a dream come true for a lot of Brits, three on the podium in both races. All credit to the fans, they gave us tremendous support here today. What a brilliant day for Yamaha and a brilliant day for me! I couldn’t believe both wins came at once, I would rather have had one earlier in the year and one today, but we’ve been fighting for this all the year and here it is.”
Biaggi has now earned 373 points, with Haslam second with 313 points. Heading into the final three rounds, Biaggi holds the edge but there are still six races to go. The next round is at the Nurburgring in Germany on the 5th September.
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