Michel Fabrizio Scores First Ever Superbike Win, at Monza

It could have been a sweet double win for Ben Spies during the World Superbike event at Monza this weekend, but an unfortunate fuel strategy from his Yamaha team demoted him from race winner to a disappointing 15th place in Race 1.

The first race of the weekend went off with a major crash in the first chicane of Lap 1, causing Makoto Tamada, Tommy Hill, Troy Corser, Max Neukirchner and Brendan Roberts to retire before the race even started. After the restart, Spies broke away from the pack, joined by the two Ducati riders Michel Fabrizio and championship leader Noriyuki Haga.

The final few laps were dramatic, as Spies fought hard for the lead only to lose it on the final meters of the race. While plenty of bike lengths ahead of the Ducati duo with only one turn remaining, the Yamaha rider ran out of fuel and eventually had to kiss the race win good-bye, crossing the finish line in 15th place.

The race was won by the crowd's favorite Fabrizio, who not only managed to get the chequered flag in front of his home fans but also scored his first ever World Superbike win. Second overall was overall leader Haga, with the first race podium completed by Ten Kate Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari.

The Texan rider took sweet revenge in the second Sunday race, as he dominated the field from beginning to end to clinch his 5th win this season. And that was only the first good news of the weekend for the Yamaha rider, as championship leader Haga had to call it a day following a crash in Lap 3. Combined with a remarkable 2nd place from Fabrizio – who managed to hold off Kiyonari in the dying laps of the race – the title fight for the remainder 9 rounds (18 races) of the series is now wide open.

In the overall classification, Haga's lead to Spies is now cut to 54 points, while Fabrizio trails the Texan by 21 points. The next rounds of the WSBK series is scheduled the very next weekend, at South African circuit Kyalami.