Haslam surprised at Valencia victory
Added on Monday, April 12th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Haslam surprised at Valencia victory
Leon Haslam expressed his delight and surprise at extending his lead in the World Superbike championship, claiming that he expected title rival Max Biaggi to have the advantage in Valencia.
The Brit extended his lead in the championship to 18 points after a win, his second of the season, and a fourth place finish in Valencia whilst Biaggi had to settle for a second and third place finish in a weekend that took Haslam by surprise.
Ahead of this weekend’s round, the Suzuki rider was already taking up the chances of rivals running twins, such as Biaggi and eventual race two winner Noriyuki Haga, but was nonetheless delighted with the result in southern Spain.
“I thought this weekend was going to be a really tough one and that people like Max Biaggi would be the guys who were riding well here and taking the wins,” said Haslam.
“Max has done a lot of testing around Valencia and so I was really surprised to have got the win in the first race.
“I was really surprised the pace was so slow in the first race. I managed to pull away and then it was just about hanging on.
“The last four laps were the longest four laps ever so I was just really happy to have got the win.”
The Derbyshire rider is still keeping his feet on the ground however, admitting that there is a lot of racing ahead of him.
“We still have ten meets to go, that’s 20 races,” added Haslam.
“For me, it is a long, long way to go and I can’t afford to let myself get complacent about things.
“It was definitely a relief to get the win, everyone was in the same position and everyone is looking to pick up points so I am pleased.”
