Yamaha's Spies went into the lead during Race 1 from the early beginning and set the pace comfortably up front, while Haga suffered from a poor start and was held up in the field for most of the time. When the Ducati driver finally managed to get past Aprilia's Max Biaggi, it was too late to challenge the Texan for the win.
In the end, Spies won from Haga and Biaggi, therefore reclaiming the lead in the overall classification.
In Race 2 however, it was Haga who set the pace throughout the afternoon, as he got to a perfect start before Max Biaggi and retained the lead until the end. Spies, on the other hand, failed to pressure the Japanese driver for the win, as he struggled with tire wear problems for most of the race.
The Texan eventually finished the race outside the overall podium, as he was beaten to it by Biaggi and Honda's Jonathan Rea. In addition to losing the lead in the overall classification, Spies' poor performance in the second race also brought rivals Ducati their 16th manufacturers title in the World Superbike Championship.
“For sure this is an important win for me. Especially after Nurburgring I don't sleep every night because I am always thinking about the position in the championship. I'm really happy with this second place and win, my chief engineer made a good setting for race 2 and the feeling was good for race pace distance. I couldn't make an advantage from Max and Johnny but concentrated on the last laps to take this win, which gave the Manufacturers' title to Ducati,” said Haga after the race.
Before the last round at Portimao circuit, Haga how holds a 10-point lead in the riders standings to Spies.
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