 Haga celebrates victory |
Renegade Ducati rider Noriyuki Haga of Japan produced two impressive displays to win both World Superbike races at Brands Hatch. Haga edged home ahead of Pierfrancesco Chili and Chris Vermeulen in race two to seal a fine double which moves him up to third in the rider standings.
However Britain's James Toseland lost his championship lead and is now in fourth place after a nightmare weekend.
He finished seventh in the first race and then crashed out of race two.
Toseland, who started the first race from 12-place on the grid, could do no better than seventh and suffered more bad luck in the second race.
The Ducati Fila rider looked to be heading out with an oil leak but a crash involving Giancarlo de Matteis at the Paddock Hill Bend stopped the race with the 25-lap rap later restarted.
Officials ruled that the race would resume with the grid determined by positions at the end of lap three.
Toseland was therefore allowed to switch to his second-choice bike but his misery continued when he slid off the track after a collision with Troy Corser.
"I got a good start and I don't know what Troy was doing, but he hit me from the back and before I knew it I was seeing gravel," he said.
Briton Chris Walker was the first domestic rider to finish in fourth while wild card rider James Ellison was fifth.
In the first race, Haga sealed victory with a daring last-lap overtaking manoeuvre to take him home ahead of Ducati Fila's Regis Laconi.
Pole-starter Steve Martin was third, Ellison was sixth while Leon Haslam and Chili both crashed out.
WSB Brands Hatch, race one results:
1 Noriyuki Haga (Jpn) Ducati 37mins 08.172secs
2 Regis Laconi (Fra) Ducati 37:08.306
3 Steve Martin (Aus) Ducati 37:10.445
4 Chris Vermeulen (Aus) Honda 37:12.923
5 Troy Corser (Aus) Petronas 37:16.218
6 James Ellison (GB) Yamaha 37:18.081
7 James Toseland (GB) Ducati 37:18.197
8 Craig Coxhell (Aus) Honda 37:29.969
9 Chris Walker (GB) Petronas 37:34.309
10 Gianluca Nannelli (Ita) Ducati 37:37.303
11 Marco Borciani (Ita) Ducati 37:37.941
12 Giovanni Bussei (Ita) Ducati 37:41.958
13 Lucio Pedercini (Ita) Ducati 37:43.238
14 Ivan Clementi (Ita) Kawasaki 37:44.591
15 Piergiorgio Bontempi (Ita) Suzuki 37:49.071
WSB Brands Hatch, race two results:
1 Noriyuki Haga (Jpn) Ducati 37mins 05.030secs
2 Pierfrancesco Chili (It) Ducati 37:05.990
3 Chris Vermeulen (Aus) Honda 37:15.669
4 Chris Walker (GB) Petronas 37:28.694
5 James Ellison (GB) Yamaha 37:29.142
6 Giovani Bussei (It) Ducati 37:31.463
7 Gary McCoy (Aus) Ducati 37:31.882
8 Craig Coxhell (Aus) Honda 37:36.113
9 Sebastien Gimbert (Fra) Yamaha 37:36.251
10 Mauro Sanchini (Ita) Kawasaki 37:36.924
11 Ivan Clementi (Ita) Kawasaki 37:41.316
12 Piergiorgio Bontempi (Ita) Suzuki 37:59.478
13 Sergio Fuertes (Spa) Suzuki 38:06.454
14 Alessio Velini (Ita) Yamaha 38:25.080
15 Miguel Praia (Por) Ducati 38:10.685
Overall standings:
1 R�gis Laconi (Fra) 218 pts
2 Chris Vermeulen (Aus) 216
3 Noriyuki Haga (Jpn) 212
4 James Toseland (GB) 210
5 Pierfrancesco Chili (Ita) 180
MMIX
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It was an error by Corser but these things happen 