Aprilia completes its first World Superbike 1-2 result as Leon Haslam's first retirement hands Max Biaggi the championship lead
Max Biaggi is the World Superbike Championship leader for the first time this season after notching up a second win of the day at Miller Motorsports Park, while Leon Haslam crashed out of contention.
Biaggi had looked on course for a second place finish as he trailed a charging
Carlos Checa early on, the Spaniard determined to make up for his retirement two laps from victory in race one.
However, for the second time today, he would capitalise on his former
MotoGP rivals' desperate misfortune, Checa retiring with another technical problem on lap eight and promoting Biaggi into the lead.
Biaggi's day would improve further just seconds later when Haslam high-sided his Suzuki at Black Rock hairpin, an error that swings the tense pendulum firmly in the Aprilia rider's favour to the tune of 15 points.
An outstanding day for Aprilia, Leon Camier gave the team its first-ever
WSBK 1-2 with a career-best ride to second position, the Briton catching and passing
Troy Corser before resisting Cal Crutchlow.
Following his cruel retirement two laps from the chequered flag in race one, a determined looking Checa wasted no time in stamping his authority on proceedings as he defied Biaggi's better start to brake later into turn one and snatch the lead.
Biaggi settled into second, with Corser third after getting another excellent start from 15th on the grid, Camier fourth and
Ruben Xaus fifth. Haslam, meanwhile, found himself down in tenth after getting baulked through the opening bends.
With a lead of over a second by the end of lap two, Checa was already looking on course to make amends this time around, the Althea Ducati man streaking away from Biaggi, who in turn had already shaken off the advances of Corser himself.
However, having been forced out by a broken cable on his fly-by-wire throttle in race one, Checa's dismal luck struck again at the end of lap seven as he began coasting to a halt, the Spaniard allowing himself a brief fit of passion as he shook his head and slapped his bike.
