Starting Race 1 from pole position, Haslam would offer the fans a race to remember, as it would take a photo finish to establish the race winner at the chequered flag. After a thrilling battle against Xerox Ducati’s Michel Fabrizio, Haslam emerged winner at the finish line by no less than 0.004 seconds, the closest ever winning margin in the WSBK.
After the race was over, it seemed like the Italian would get the win, but the race officials further reviewed the tapes and gave Haslam the overall victory. The podium was completed by the second Xerox Ducati rider Noriyuki Haga, who had also been part of the battle for the lead throughout the 22 laps of racing.
Haslam would then change roles with Carlos Checa for Race 2 of the event, as he eventually lost the thrilling battle for 1st place by only 0.307 seconds. The Spaniard did a perfect race in the afternoon and left less room for interpretation at the finish line, while the runner-up from Race 1 Michel Fabrizio had to settle for 3rd place.
In the end, both races saw the Top 3 finishers within less than one second from each other at the chequered flag.
“When you are close to four other riders it is not easy to overtake and make it permanent but I passed in the right time and at the right places. This was one of the best races in my life, so thanks to my new team,” said Checa at the end of the day.
In the overall classification, Haslam is the first leader of the championship, holding a 9-point advantage over Fabrizio, with Carlos Checa 2 more points behind, in 3rd place.
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