Valencia: Michelin race report
World Superbike championship round one -- Valencia, Spain Perfect start in Spain for champion Bayliss World champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada - Michelin) begins title defence in perfect fashion with double victory at Valencia, Spain as ...
World Superbike championship round one -- Valencia, Spain
Perfect start in Spain for champion Bayliss
World champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada - Michelin) begins title defence in perfect fashion with double victory at Valencia, Spain as World Superbike season blasts off.
Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada - Michelin) stormed to victory in both races as the World Superbike championship got under way at the Valencia circuit in Spain on Sunday.
Bayliss, starting from pole position, took the ninth and 10th wins of his World Superbike career as he powered to the head of the championship and started the new campaign as he ended the last.
Bayliss led the opening race from start to finish, denying Aprilia's Noriyuki Haga and Ducati's Ben Bostrom the chance to lead despite their close attentions. Bayliss ran out winner by 3.1s. Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda - Michelin) took fourth place while Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada - Michelin) improved from ninth place on the grid to finish fifth.
Bayliss came under pressure in the second 23-lap race but made his move five laps from the scheduled finish and eased away to hold a 1.1s lead when the race was red-flagged on lap 21 after a fallen rider spread gravel and dirt onto the circuit.
Haga was again second but was set to come under pressure from the charging Edwards. American Edwards took third place from Bostrom on lap 19 and was catching Haga when the race was stopped prematurely. Xaus crashed out on the eighth lap after moving through to fifth place.
-michelinsport-
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